28 Seconds
by Mountain Dew 17
Summary: AU. What if instead of being a Police Officer, Tony served in The Army prior to joining NCIS? What if Tony and Kate met in High School and had a child when they were both 16? This is the story of Tony's life in The US Army's Elite Delta Force. There will be appearances by Gibbs, Kate, Ziva, Malachi & Liat. 1st of a series. Rated T for Violence, Language & Adult themes
1. Chapter 1

**28 Seconds**

**A/N- This is my first NCIS Fan Fiction. It is an AU Story. In this universe, the episode "Baltimore" never happened. So just erase it from your memory. **

**Background information****- Tony and Kate attend the same High School together and began dating as freshman, in their junior year, when they are both 16, Kate gets pregnant with Tony's child. After hearing of this, Tony's father, Anthony D. DiNozzo Sr, disowns his son, and tells him he never wants to see him again. Because of both of them being brought up as Roman Catholic, Tony and Kate get married when they are both 16. 8 months later, they're son, Anthony Dominick DiNozzo III, is born, on May 17****th****, 1983. As Kate cares for their son, whom Tony nicknames "Three", Tony still goes to college at Ohio State University, where he is an All-American Quarterback in Football, and an All-American Point Guard in Basketball, were he leads OSU to the Final Four in he senior year 1988-89. Also, Brad Pitt (The Doctor, from the episode "SWAK") misses the tackle that tore Tony's ACL and MCL, thus preventing Tony's knee injury. (And no, Brad Pitt the doctor and Brad Pitt the actor are not related). During his time at OSU, he enrolls in ROTC, and upon graduation, joins The US Army as a 2****nd**** Lieutenant. He becomes a Paratrooper, and after that An Airborne Ranger. In September 1990, be passes "Selection" and becomes a member of The US Army's Elite Delta Force. In January 1991, Tony's team is inserted behind enemy lines in Iraq, as part of Operation Desert Storm. He leads a small 5 man team to the village of Tifka, were their orders are to eliminate 3 American scientists who are working on developing chemical and biological weapons for Saddam Hussein. And this is where our story begins. **

**Chapter One**

January, 1991. Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jeathro Gibbs of The United States Marine Corps, lay silent and still on a ridge, outside of Tifka, Iraq. He lays there, dressed min a Sniper's gillie suit, clutching his M-40 Sniper Rifle. His orders are to scout an Iraqi Chemical Plant located in the village, so a Marine Company can seize it, and prevent the weapons from being used against Coalition Forces. It is 0430 hours, and The Gunny has been on this ridge for 5 hours. In his 10+ years in The Corps, he had waited much longer than 5 hours for a mission. But on this particular mission, something felt off. Call it a gut feeling if you will, my today Gibbs had this feeling of impending doom. He glanced at his watch. It read 0445 hours. The Marines Company would be moving up to RV with him at 0600. Suddenly, a flash caught the corner of his eye. Then he heard it. Gunfire, two different types of weaponry. He could easily make out the first; it was one that he had heard almost every time he deployed. It was the very distinct sound of A Soviet made Kalashnikov model of 1947, or simply, The AK-47. The second type caught him off guard; he was also easily able to identify it. It was a weapon he also carried with him. An American M-16 Assault Rifle. Gibbs also heard the sound of an alarm blaring. He looked through his scope and watched as tracer rounds went back and forth. Even at 2 miles away he could see that it was an intense firefight. After about 8 or 9 minutes, a truck busted through the main gate. There were 2 in the front and 3 in the back. The 3 men in the back were firing their M-16s back at Iraqi soldiers who were chasing after them on foot. Then, there was another flash, this one much bigger than the one that had initially caught Gibbs' attention. The he heard it. A large bang hit him as the chemical plant exploded. Flames bursted all around. Drums filled with god knows what started flying. The truck skidded to a stop about a ½ mile from the plant. The 5 men jumped off the truck add stood their admiring their work. They he heard it. The shrill of an incoming mortar round. A mortar round dropped and exploded not 500 yards from were Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs was located. "Shit" he said to himself as he got to his feet and started running. He hadn't gotten more than 50 feet when a Mortar round came down near him. The shock wave sent him flying through the air. When he finally came down, after being thrown 15 feet, he tried to get up, but realized he couldn't move. Even with his adrenaline pumping like crazy, he fell something wet on his left thigh. He reached down with his left hand and looked at it. There was a hole, about 2 inches wide in his leg. With more mortar rounds falling all around him, Gibbs tried to get up, but his leg wouldn't let him. He looked over and saw a figure running toward him. Not knowing if it was friend or foe, he tried to reach for his sidearm. As he did, his vision started to go black, as he passed out.

**One Hour Earlier**

It was 0400, and Alpha Team, Led by 2nd Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. was laying in wait in a ditch about 200 yards from an Iraqi chemical plant inside Tifka, Iraq. Tony crawled over to his number 2, Master Sergeant William Kearns and whispered to him "Billy Boy, I make it to be 0400 exact. We go in 30 mikes".

"Yes, Sir" replied Kearns. "Sir" Kearns whispered back.

"Yes Sergeant?" Tony asked.

"Sir, I know that you're in charge here, but just so I'm sure that you're sure, can you please run through the plan one more time. I got this sweet gal back home, and I'd like to make it home in one piece so that I can see here again" he said. While DiNozzo was slightly annoyed by this request, he understood why his Senior NCO was making it. This was Tony's 1st time in Combat.

"Very well Sergeant. At 0430 exact he crawl our way to the wire. You and Staff Sergeant Clarkin cut the wire and we make our way inside. Once inside, you and me make our way to the scientists' quarters, were we eliminate them. Silencers on, 3 rounds to chest, 1 to the head apiece. After that, we plant the explosives, hot wire one of their trucks, crash the gate, and make like a bat outta hell" explained DiNozzo.

35 minutes later, Alpha Team was inside the wire. As Sergeant Kearns picked the lock on the door to the scientists' quarters, DiNozzo whispered to his men "Ok boys, Terry, you stay here and watch our backs. John, got fin something that will go 'Boom' and planted the explosives. Ron, cover John's six. Ok got it? Move out". Once the door was open, Kearns and Tony slowly crept their way inside and up the main stair case. . They both shouldered their M-16s and drew their side arms, M9s, and attached silencers to them. Kearns entered the 1st bedroom and quickly disposed of the scientist residing there. DiNozzo quietly opened the 2nd bedroom. He took aim and fired 3 shots into the guy's chest and 1 to his head. They both re-entered the hallway as the 3rd bedroom's door opened. Both men quickly slipped back into the other 2 bedrooms as the 3rd scientist entered the hallway. After the scientist had looked both ways and saw no one was in the hallway, he exited his room and walked to the other end of the hallway, opposite the stairs. At the end of the hallway, there was a window that looked out into the main compound. The scientist stopped in front of the window and looked out. As he did this, Sergeant Kearns started to take aim with his M9. Seeing this, DiNozzo motioned with his hand for the Sergeant to lower his weapon. _I maybe a newbie_, he thought_, but if Billy misses, the bullet will break the glass and the guards below might hear us. Then were really fucked_. DiNozzo holstered his M9, and slide his M-16 off his shoulder, and placed it one the ground next to him. As DiNozzo crept back into the hallway, he drew his Bayonet, which was strapped to his thigh. _Come on DiNozzo, you can do this. This bastard sold out his country for money. The weapons he's making can kill thousands of innocents. Those weapons could kill Kate and Three_. After think that, it was all the motivation he needed. He quickly crept up behind the scientist. He slapped his hand over the guy's mouth and pulled his head back, as he drove the bayonet into the target's throat, he dragged it across his jugular, slicing his vocal cords and severing his carotid artery. When Tony finally released his hand, the target's body dropped to the floor into a pool of blood. Tony squatted down and whipped his bayonet clean on the target's pajamas. Tony stood up, placing the bayonet back in his sheath. He walked back and picked up his rifle. "Let's go" he said to Kearns. He and Kearns made their way back down the staircase, to find the rest waiting for them. When they got to the bottom, John gave Tony gave thumbs up, signifying that the explosive were in place. Tony nodded in return. He walked over to the side of the window and motioned for Kearns to join him. "Billy Boy, think you can hotwire that bad boy" he said pointing to a big and powerful Mercedes Benes Truck.

"No doubt" Kearns said, giving his thumbs up.

"Ok, then. I got your Six. The rest of you stay here" he ordered. Kearns opened the door and quickly both Tony and Billy darted across the compound to the truck. As Kearns climbed into the front seat, an Iraqi guard noticed them and started yelling. "Oh Shit" said Tony and he un-slung his rifle and put 4, 5.56mm rounds in the guy's chest. A few seconds later the alarm went off. The remainder of Alpha team made there way over to the truck as a firefight broke out. Kearns got the truck started and climbed into the drives seat.

"Let's go boys" yelled Kearns as he slammed the driver's side door. DiNozzo quickly jumped in the passenger side, as the rest of the team jumped in the back. They all kept firing as Kearns put the truck into gear. Kearns slammed the accelerator and the truck slammed through the front gate.

Tony looked into the back off the truck and yelled "John, light em up". With a nod, John laid his rifle down and pulled the detonator from his breast pocket. He mashed the button and after a 3 second delay there was a very loud bang. The chemical plant exploded. Flames were everywhere. When they were about a ½ mile from the gate. DiNozzo had Kearns stop the truck. They all got out to admire there work. "Hell of a job boys. Hell of a job" he said. As he slapped John on the back. Then he heard it. The shrill. Every soldier knew that sound. "Shit, mortars" he yelled as they all scrambled back into the truck. About 2 miles down the road, Tony noticed something. He saw someone lying on the ground, just off the side of the road, he was clutching his leg. "Bill, stop the truck" Tony said, clutching Kearns' right arm. Kearns did so, and Tony looked over. "Looks like we got a wounded Jarhead over yonder" he said.

"Sir, we got The Republican Guard on our Six, we got to get the hell outta here" yelled Terry from the bed of the truck.

"Ok, Kearns, get the rest of them outta here, don't stop for anything" ordered Tony as he opened his door and jumped down.

"Sir" protested Kearns.

"Don't. Get them out of here. I'll get that wounded Marine and exfill on foot. An officer's job is to protect his men. Now go. That is an Order Master Sergeant" yelled Tony.

With a look of anger and worry on his face, Kearns nodded, put the truck back into gear and sped away. Tony quickly grabbed his first aid kit from his pack and ran over to the fallen Marine. Sliding onto his knees, he grabbed the Marine's hand. 'Ok buddy, calm down, I got you" he said, as the Marine passed out. "God dammit, stay with me Marine. He grabbed the Marine's dog tags and read them. "Stay with me Gunny. Stay with me Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs" he yelled. He packed and wrapped the wound in the Gunnery Sergeant's Thigh. "OK, Gunny, let's get you the hell outta here" he said. He put the first aid kit back into his pack, and picked up the Gunnery Sergeant into a Fireman's carry, as Tony began his long trek across the desert.

**A/N- Well I hope y'all enjoyed the 1****st**** chapter. So yes, Gibbs and DiNozzo actually met during the Gulf War, where Tony saves Gibbs' life. In the next chapter, we will find out what happens next. Will Tony and Gibbs Survive? **

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW! This is my first ever fan fiction, and all of your reviews will be greatly appreciated. **


	2. Chapter 2

** A/N- Here it is, Chapter 2. **

**Chapter Two**

It was 0730 hours as 2nd Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo trekked his way through the scorching heat of the Iraqi desert with a wounded USMC Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jeathro Gibbs on his back. He had been walking for about 2 ½ hours, and had covered bout 10 miles. Doing the math in his head, he tried to figure out where he was. He knew that Tifka was about 40 miles from the Kuwaiti Border. He also knew that the previous night was the last the of Operation Desert Shield, and that as of 0000 hour, midnight, it officially became Operation Desert Storm, The Liberation of Kuwait and The Invasion of Iraq. He also knew that The US 2nd Armored Division, either had begun to or was about to crash Saddam's Party in Kuwait. If he could make it the remaining 30 miles to Kuwait, both he and The Gunny would be safe.

As he continued to walk, he heard a jet off in the distance. Suddenly, a flight of 4 F-16 Fighting Falcons swooped overhead. Tony looked up and smiled. He continued throughout the day, as the hot beat down on him. By mid day, the temperature had reached well in excess of 100 degrees. DiNozzo was drenched from head to toe in sweat. "You Know Leroy, your awfully quite back there" he said to the unconscious Gibbs. "Oh that's right, you're out cold" he said laughing. "So Leroy, you have any family? Wife? Kids?" he asked, knowing full well Gibbs wasn't going to answer. "Well Gunnery Sergeant, if you aren't going to answer me, then I'm just going to keep on talking" he said. Over the coarse of the next 6 hours, Tony went on to tell gives his entire life story. At about 1930 hours, the sun began to set. Tony picked a spot just below a san dune to setup for the night. He mad a small fire to keep them warm. It was safe for Tony to assume that Gibbs hadn't had any water for almost 24 hours. If he didn't get Gibbs help soon, he was liable to die. Tony didn't get any sleep that night. He stayed up, watching over Gibbs. At approximately 0430 hours, Tony put out the fire, picked up Gibbs onto his shoulder and continued his trek. He had only 5 miles to go until he hit the Kuwaiti border. By 0600 he had entered Kuwait. As he continued walking, he saw a camp on the horizon. There was an American Flag flying above it.

0730 hours. Master Sergeant William Kearns had led Alpha Team, minus their Team Leader Lieutenant DiNozzo out of Iraq and back into Kuwait, to Camp Freedom. "I still feel rotten as hell for leaving him. But an order is an order" said Kearns complaining to the rest of the team.

"Think he'll make it?" asked Ron

"Look, he may have passed selection, but that doesn't make up for actual combat experience" said Terry.

"You wanna make it interesting?" asked Ron

"What do you mean?" inquired John.

"On weather or not the Lieutenant makes it" said Ron. "50 a piece. Winners chop the pot" he said, taking out his wallet and laying down a fifty dollar bill. The others all did the same. "I say he's gonna make it" conclude Ron. Everyone else bet against him. Just then, Ron started to laugh.

"What's so funny Staff Sergeant?" asked Kearns.

"Take a look" he said, as he pointed out into the desert. Out on the horizon was a man, about 6'1, he looked to be carrying a man on his shoulder.

"Son of a bitch" said Kearns. As the man got closer, they could all see that Ron had won the bet.

As Tony came within earshot of the camp, a sentry challenged him. After Tony gave him a one finger salute, the sentry let him pass without incident. Tony, with Gibbs still on his back walked over to the table where his men were sitting. Laying Gibbs down on the table he said "While Ron counts his winnings, John and Terry, go get a medic, NOW!" Then, looking over at Kearns he said "Bill, I know you didn't want to leave me out their. But you did the right thing. You hear me? You did the right thing. You got them all out alive". He put a reassuring hand on Bill's shoulder. As he said this, 2 medics and a doctor came running over to the table, as Staff Sergeant Terry Clarkin led the way.

As the doctor began to examine Gunnery, he asked "What's his name?"

"What?" inquired Tony.

"This man, what is his name?" the doctor repeated.

"Oh, um, his name is Gunnery Sergeant Leroy J. Gibbs" answered Tony. The doc nodded a thank you, as the 2 medics put Gibbs on a stretcher and carried him away. "I hope he makes it" said Tony to Bill.

"Yeah, me too" he replied. After the medics walked out of sight, John reappeared with an MP in tow.

"Oh shit" said both Kearns and Tony at the same time.

"Lieutenant DiNozzo, Sir. This is Captain Hollis Mann, Military Police. She asked to speak with you sir" explained John. Both Kearns and DiNozzo snapped to attention and saluted.

"Lieutenant DiNozzo, I'm going to need you to come with me" ordered Captain Mann.

"May I inquire as to why Mam?" asked DiNozzo.

"Your Commanding Officer, Colonel McCoy, wishes to speak with you. We have him on sate comm. If you'll follow me" she said.

"Yes Mam" he said. Captain Mann led Lieutenant DiNozzo through rows and rows of tents. DiNozzo's uniform was now completely drenched in sweat. He hadn't showered in days, and he stunk. Captain Mann led Tony to a large tent with antennas sticking out of it. His conversation with his CO was brief. Colonel McCoy congratulated Tony on a job exceptionally well done.

The next day, Alpha Team was back in action again. They were issued 2 HUMVEEs, and they set off. Master Sergeant Kearns drove the 1st HUMVEE with Tony is the passenger's seat. Terry Clarkin drove the second, with both John and Ron in he back. They're mission was to recon a Kuwaiti Village that was still under Iraqi control.

"Well, according to the map, Kidal, is about only 6 more miles up this road" said Tony.

"Copy that Sir" replied Kearns. Tony had his team stop about a Mile outside of the village. He stepped out of the HUMVEE, and took out his binoculars.

"Strange, I don't see anything, besides the buildings" said Tony.

"What do you mean Sir?" asked Kearns.

"As in zero, zilch, nada activity. It's quiet as a tomb" explained Tony. _I don't like it. It seems way too easy_ he thought. "Ok listen up, gas masks on. I got this gut feeling that we're walking into a shit storm. Johnny Boy, get up on that 50" he ordered as he pointed to the mounted Browning 50 Caliber Machine Gun on the 2nd HUMVEE. After the team had put on their gas masks, Tony climbed up onto his HUMVEE and stood up behind the 50. He pulled back on the cocking hammer and yelled "Let's roll!" the HUMVEEs sped down the dirt road towards Kidal. As they entered the town, Kearns skidded the HUMVEE to a halt, just before hitting a body in the road. DiNozzo dismounted to inspect the body. As he jumped down, he ordered "Ron, get me an air particle reading. I wanna know if the air is safe to breathe". He was sweating profusely under the gas mask. He approached the body and squatted down. The man, who looked to be in his mid-thirties, had died from several gunshot wounds to the back. After seeing this, Tony looked around, trying to spot other people. Then he noticed something. "He's a Kurd" he yelled.

"How do you know that sir?" asked Kearns, exiting the vehicle.

"The signs. Look at all the signs on the buildings. That isn't Arabic. That isn't Arabic, Farsi, or Dari. It has to be Kurdish" he said.

"Lieutenant DiNozzo" yelled Sergeant Ron Cheale

"Yes Sergeant" replied Tony.

"Air's clean sir, safe to breathe" said Cheale.

"Thank God" said Tony as he pulled off his gas mask. The rest of the team followed suit. "Ok, everyone dismount, we're on foot from here. Lock and load, one in the chamber, Safeties off. APOT shots off, shoot until they drop" he ordered. "Oh, and for God's sake, down hit any civvies" he said. With that, he turned around and un-slung his M-16 from his shoulder. As Alpha Team made its way through the village, they still had only seen that one body.

"It's a fucking ghost town" said Terry. When they reached the town square, Tony's stomach began to twist. The town square was littered with bodies, from the elderly to small children. Master Sergeant Kearns bent down to inspect one.

"Lieutenant, take a look at this Sir" said Kearns.

As Tony walked over he asked "Machine gunned?"

"No Sir" said Kearns standing up. Tony looked the body up and down. The man's body looked contorted and bent out of shape. He looked like a rabid raccoon as he had foamed severely at the mouth. "Nerve Gas. Serin Gas to be exact" he said. Tony looked away in disgust. Then he saw something even more disturbing. Slowly, he walked over to the boy of a little boy. A little boy who couldn't be any older than Tony's son Three. The body was contorted the same as the other man's was.

"Oh my God" was all he was able to get out before he began up chucking his breakfast. This went on for 2 or 3 more minutes as Tony threw up several more times. After he used a rag to wipe his mouth, Tony walked over to the wall of a near by building, and slid down against it. He put his head between his knees and thought _Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God. That boy, he couldn't have been any older than Three._

The rest of the Team watched as Tony sate there for a few minutes. After Tony had finally cleared his head, he stood and said "Bill and Terry, start taking photos. Ron, get on the horn. Contact Captain Mann, tell her we're going to need an Army CID out here. Tell her" he paused. "Tell her we may have a War Crime on our hands" he said.

A few hours later, Captain Mann arrived with a CID investigation team and an infantry company. After Tony briefed her on the situation, Alpha Team got back in their HUMVEEs and drove back to Camp Freedom. Tony remained silent the whole way.

The next morning Captain Mann had returned. She found Tony sitting on a folding chair, with his feet up on a small wood table as he stared out into the desert.

"Lieutenant DiNozzo" she said.

Snapping out of his day dream, Tony jumped to his feet, snapped to attention, and saluted. "Captain Mann, Mam" he said.

"At ease, Lieutenant" she said. "I thought you would like to know, I passed the photos your men took up the Chain of Command. You did one hell of a job. You ever think about become an MP or CID Investigator?" she asked.

"And leave all this" he said sarcastically, motioning his arms so that they encompassed the empty desert.

Colonel Mann turned to leave, when she suddenly stopped and said "Oh, by the way, you have a phone call" she said smiling as she handed him a sate phone.

Pressing the call button he said "This is Lieutenant DiNozzo"

_"Tony"_ said a female voice.

"Kate?" he asked as he face went from black expression to a huge smile.

**A/N- I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 2. in case you were wondering, prior to, during and after The Gulf War, Saddam Hussein used Serin nerve gas during his genocide of The Kurdish people. **

** In the next chapter, what happens when Tony meets a legendary Military Commander? And, will Gibbs ever wake from his coma**

**Stay Tuned for The Next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

**PS- Please Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N- Ladies & Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages, For the Thousands in attendance and The Millions reading around the world…. Let's get ready to…..**

**Yeah that's about as far as I got with that. **

** Ok well, now that I have your attention, I thought I give you some more background information on the story. In this AU, Ziva is born in 1972 (Not 1982), which means that Ari would be born in 1970, and Tali in 1979. Malachi Ben-Gidon was born in 1968. I'm going to keep Eli David's Date of Birth the same as I believe it is in the series, in 1949. Eli, Ari, and Ziva will all make appearances, if not in this story then in the sequel. At this point in the story, Ari, Ziva and Malachi are all operatives for Mossad, as they all began their training when they turned 16. **

**Like in the TV show, Tim McGee was born in 1978, and Abby was born in 1980.**

**Ok then folks, now without further a due… here is Chapter 3 of "28 Seconds"**

**Chapter 3**

_"1...2...3...4… I just want to celebrate, another day of living, I just want to celebrate, another day of LIFE!" _ rang through the speaker system at Camp Freedom. The news of Saddam Hussein's "Surrender" had just broke, and it was spreading like wildfire. Camp Freedom was a man house, will everyone celebrating like crazy**. **Alpha Team was no exception.

"Congratulations Gentlemen. We've made it" said Tony as he raised his canteen, a canteen which contained a questionable substance. Looking around, everyone seemed to be thrilled, all except for Master Sergeant Kearns. "Something wrong Billy?" he asked.

"It's this 'surrender' Sir" he said as he raised his hands and did air quotations when he said "Surrender". "This ain't no surrender, yeah sure Saddam's outta Kuwait, but he sure as shit won't be answering for all those Kurds he gassed. I did some asked around, the one we stumbled across wasn't the only one" he said.

"We were all there Billy, we all saw it. And we're all just as pissed about it as you are. And you know that the second we get a called from H.W telling us to go over there and shoot the genocidal maniac, that you'll have to fight me for a spot on the truck. But, unfortunately, until that day comes, there ain't nothing we can do about it" said Kearns. Before he could say anything else, Captain Hollis Mann of The Military Police came storming into the tent.

"Ten Hut" she yelled as following in was Colonel Scott McCoy, The Delta Force or "The Unit" Commander. Alpha Team quickly snapped to attention and saluted.

"At ease boys" said The Colonel. "I'm only here because my boss told me to be here. He wants to congratulate all of you in person. Oh, and Master Sergeant Kearns" said The Colonel as he stared down Billy.

"Yes Sir" he said.

"I do not appreciate you going over my head" he said with a smile.

"I felt the situation warranted it sir" said Kearns

"And it certainly did" said a loud voice from outside the tent.

Grabbing the tent flap, Captain Mann said "Gentlemen, General Norman Schwarzkopf". Alpha Team immediately snapped to attention and saluted.

"General Schwarzkopf, Sir" said Tony, still saluting, still at a stiff attention.

"At ease, at ease" said General Schwarzkopf. "I'm here to you, Lieutenant DiNozzo" he said pointing at Tony.

"Me Sir?" asked Tony as he lowered his salute.

"Yes you. I received a phone call from an old friend yesterday. Master Sergeant Kearns over there" he said looking over at Sergeant Kearns. "Bill" he said extending his right hand.

Kearns took it, as he shook he said. "Good to see you General"

"You too Bill" he released Bill's hand and looked back over at Tony. "Lieutenant DiNozzo, after talking with both Master Sergeant Kearns and Captain Mann, I have come to the conclusion that your actions over the past week have been quite heroic. And on that note" he said as he reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small box and handed it to Tony.

Tony opened it and said "Gold Bars". Inside the box was a set of 4 Gold Lieutenant's Bars for his dress uniform.

"Congratulations, 1st Lieutenant DiNozzo" said General Schwarzkopf as he saluted Tony. Tony quickly returned the salute. "Now. Attention to Orders!" he yelled. Everyone, including Captain Mann and Colonel McCoy snapped to attention. "Lieutenant DiNozzo, if recited properly, exactly how long does it take to recite The Ranger Creed?" he asked.

"28 Seconds Sir" replied Tony.

"Continue" said The General/.

With a deep breath Tony began to recite The Creed that was engraved on his Heart.

"**R**ecognizing that I volunteered as a Ranger, fully knowing the hazards of my chosen profession, I will always endeavor to uphold the prestige, honor and 'esprit de corps' of the Rangers"

"**A**cknowledging the fact that a Ranger is a more elite soldier who arrives at the cutting edge of battle by Land Sea, or air, I accept the fact that as a Ranger my country expects me to move farther, faster and fight harder than any other soldier"

"**N**ever shall I fail my comrades. I will always keep myself mentally alert, physically strong and morally straight and I will shoulder more than my share of the task whatever it may be. One hundred percent and then some"

"**G**allantly will I show the world that I am a specially selected and well-trained soldier. My courtesy to superior officers, my neatness of dress and care for equipment shall set the example for others to follow"

**E**nergetically will I meet the enemies of my country. I shall defeat them on the field of battle for I am better trained and will fight will all my might. Surrender is not a Ranger word. I will never leave a fallen comrade to fall into the hands of the enemy and under no circumstances will I ever embarrass my country"

"**R**eadily will I display the intestinal fortitude required to fight on to the Ranger objective and complete the mission though I be the lone survivor"

Tony recited the Ranger Creed in exactly 28 Seconds. "1st Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo, for your actions of 28 January, 1991, in saving the life of one Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jeathro Gibbs of The United States Marine Corps, during which time, you not only administered first aid treatment to the wounded Gunnery Sergeant, but also carried him over 50 miles through hostile territory, on your back. It has been determined that without your quick thinking and actions, the Gunnery Sergeant would not have survived. At this time, with the blessing of The President of The United States, George H.W Bush, it is my Honor and Privilege, to present to 1st Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo, for actions Above and Beyond The Call of Duty, it is my Honor and Privilege to present to you" he paused as he retrieved a box from his pocket "The Congressional Medal of Honor" he said opening the box. In side was a Gold Star, attached to a light blue ribbon. "Congratulations Anthony" said Schwarzkopf as he slapped Tony on the back. Tony couldn't believe it. The Congressional Medal of Honor. And he had earned it.

"Thank you very much, General, Sir. This is a great honor" said Tony with a huge grin on his face. He turned around to face his men and said "Well, looks like I'm a hero now". The men all cheered and tackled Tony into a dog pile. Fighting them all the way, Tony finally made it back to his feet. He couldn't' help but notice that Colonel McCoy, Captain Mann and General Schwarzkopf were all laughing hysterically. "General Sir, if you don't mind me asking, when are we going home Sir?"

"0430 tomorrow. I have a C-130 headed to Haifa, then Rammstein AFB in West Germany and finally Fort Bragg. That's were your stationed correct?" The General asked.

"Yes Sir" said Tony smiling.

The next morning, Alpha Team was loading there gear onto the C-130, when a jeep came onto the tarmac. It was still dark, and the bright lights of the jeep blinded Tony as it approached. Tony put his hand up over his eyes, half trying to block out the light, half trying to see who was in the jeep. The jeep pulled up in front of him, the heads went of when the driver shut off the ignition. It took a few seconds for Tony's eyes to re-adjust. After they did, he saw Colonel McCoy step out of the jeep. "Tony" yelled the Colonel.

"Come to see us off Colonel?" asked DiNozzo, smiling.

"Not exactly" he said. Tony saw he was carrying a folder in his hand. "Here" he said handing the file to Tony. "Should make some interesting reading material. You speak Hebrew right?"

"Yes Sir. Including English and American Sign Language, I'm fluent in 24 languages" he replied. Tony opened the file. It was the complete service record of an Israeli Commando. "Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon" said Tony as he read the file.

"That's right. You'll be picking him up in Haifa. Take him with you back to base; you'll be training him as a Delta Force Operator" ordered McCoy.

"Sir, I know that Israel is an ally, but should we really be teaching one of their assassins all of our secrets?" asked DiNozzo.

"Sergeant Ben-Gidon is more than an Israeli Commando. He trained with the Kidon. You ever heard of them?" asked McCoy.

"The Nazi Hunters" said Tony. "Or I should say, former Nazi Hunters. Now they just hunt down and kill anyone they feel like" explained Tony.

"Ben-Gidon was forced in The Mossad's Kidon Unit at the age of 16. He's been imbedded with them for 5 years. And he ain't too happy about it" said McCoy.

"Wait. You want me to turn him" said DiNozzo.

"You won't have to; he's already offered his services to The C.I.A Station chief in Tel-Aviv. So through a little maneuvering, I had Malachi sent TAD to us" said McCoy.

"How?" asked Tony, now he was really confused.

"The Israeli Commandos have been training our Navy S.E. for years now. So, I contacted my opposite number in Tel-Aviv and offered to train one of their Kidon men in Delta" said McCoy.

"How did you make sure Sergeant Ben-Gidon would be the one chosen?" asked Tony.

"Simple. The members of Kidon are all arrogant bastards who think they're better than everyone else. Malachi was the only one who volunteered" said McCoy with a smile. Tony put his hand over his stomach as he bent over laughing. McCoy stuck out his hand. "Good luck Tony".

Tony grabbed his CO's hand and replied "you too Sir". With that Tony boarded the plane.

Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jeathro Gibbs was lying in his Hospital bed, still in a coma. A nurse was checking his vital signs when a man in a dark blue windbreaker walked in. The nurse looked up and saw looked the man up and down. Seeing this, the man reached into his back pocket and pulled out his badge and ID. "Special Agent Mike Franks, NIS. I need to speak with Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs. It's most urgent" he said.

"I'm sorry sir, as you can see, The Gunny is still in a coma" replied the nurse. "What is this regarding?" she asked.

"Official business Mam. His Wife and Daughter had been murdered"

**A/N- And, now you know why I chose to name it "28 Seconds". So, I hoped you all enjoyed chapter 3. Don't worry Gibbs will wake up, and if you've seen the final 2 episodes of Season 3 (Hiatus Part 1 and Hiatus Part 2) you can guess what Gibbs will do next. If you haven't, well then I guess you're just going to have to wait to find out. **

**Also, find out in the next chapter; find out what happens when DiNozzo comes face-to-face with Malachi. And what valuable information does Sergeant Ben-Gidon bring with him to Delta Force? How will it impact Alpha Team? And what ramifications will it have for Mossad, The Kidon Unit, and a certain Mossad Station Chief?**

**Watch out for the next exciting chapter of "28 Seconds"!**

**A/N- By the way, in real it takes a lot longer for a soldier to receive the Medal of Honor. It generally takes 1 ½ to 3 years for him to receive it**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N- Welcome back y'all. I know that chapter 3 was kind of dull, but trust me there will be boat loads of action to come. There will be at least 3 or 4 chapters for Operation Gothic Serpent. If you don't know what that is, then you'll just have to wait and see. **

** The Chapter takes place at roughly the same time that Leon Vance and Eli David first met in Amsterdam. **

** And Now, The 4****th**** exciting Chapter of "28 Seconds"**

February 7th, 1991. Alpha Team's C-130 touched down on the tarmac of an Israeli Air Force Base in Haifa, Israel. The tires screeched as the wheels bounced off the ground. I had only been about a 2 hour flight from Kuwait City to Haifa. Tony had ordered all of them to get as much sleep as possible. And while they all tried, only Master Sergeant Kearns was able to get any sleep. "How the hell can you sleep on one of these things?" yelled Tony.

"Comes from experience kid. Grenada, Libya, Panama, you forget, I've been in almost 10 years" said Kearns with a smile. The plane came to a full stop and the rear gate stared to lower. Tony stood up, put on his Aviator sunglasses, and started to walk off the plane.

"Stay here. I'll be back in a minute" ordered Tony.

"No time for a beer?" asked Kearns sarcastically. With just a smirk as a response, Tony stepped off the rear gate onto the black tarmac. A black 1990 Mercedes Benes SLK was waiting there, with a young, maybe 20, 21 year old man sitting on the hood. He was in fatigues, with an Israeli flag patch on his upper right sleeve.

Tony really started to sweat when he saw the women behind the wheel. Her Olive skin glistened in the sun light, and everything from her chocolate brown eyes to her full lips was absolutely gorgeous. _Dammit DiNozzo, you're Married. Stop it! Stop it right now!_ He thought. He approached the Mercedes. "Sergeant Ben-Gidon?" he asked.

Seeing the lieutenant's bars on Tony's shoulders, Malachi snapped to attention and saluted. "Yes Sir. Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon". Tony quickly returned the salute. With Malachi off the hood of the car, the beautiful female drive took the opportunity and quickly sped away.

Sticking out his hand, Tony said "1st Lieutenant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo. But you can call me Tony". Malachi shook his hand.

"And you can call me Malachi" he replied. Then looking over his shoulder he said "I see you noticed Ziva"

"Who?" he asked.

"Ziva David. Pronounced 'Da-veed' her father is the Mossad Station Chief in Amsterdam. Many say that he will be director someday" said Malachi.

"Interesting. Now grab your gear. And then perhaps on the flight home, you can tell more about your friends in The Mossad" said Tony with a smile.

"It would be my pleasure" Malachi replied.

It was a 7 hour flight to Rammstein Air Force Base in West Germany. When they got there, the plane needed to refuel, so Alpha Team deplaned. Tony decided to have them all wait in an empty near by hangar. But not before ordering Sergeant John Hirsh and Sergeant Terry Clarkin to steal 2 cases of beer from the supply room at the officers club. Everyone was just lounging around talking, when Master Sergeant Kearns yelled from inside the Hangar's office. "Hey, you guys, come look at this". Tony, Malachi, Terry, John and Ron all quickly jumped up and jogged over. Bill was watching a ZNN News report. He turned it up once they were all in the room.

"_This is Stuart Dunston live from the deck of The Aircraft Carrier U.S.S Seahawk. It was here, last night when The Persian Gulf War saw its final casualty. A US Navy_

_F-14 Tomcat crashed into the stern of the ship. While the pilot, Navy Lieutenant Harmon Rabb Jr. survived the crash, his RIO, or Radar Intercept Officer, did not. The RIO's name is being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The cause of the crash is still under investigation in a joint investigation by NIS and JAG. We'll have more for you as the investigation progresses"_

The room remained quite for several minutes, as even Malachi understood the need for it. It wasn't long after that when Alpha Team re-boarded the C-130 and few on home.

It was 0630 local time when Alpha Team landed at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was still dark out when they all got off the plane with their duffle bags over their shoulders. Tony had ordered them all to change into their Class A uniforms while they were on final approach. Tony looked down at his chest. He had several new ribbons on his chest, and The Medal of Honor which was hanging from his neck. As they all deplaned, Malachi came up alongside him and asked "Lieutenant DiNozzo, um, I mean, um Tony, where will I be staying?"

"Well, since you'll be training with The Unit, you can't sleep in the bachelor NCO quarters, and Mossad is too cheap to spring for an off base apartment for you. So you'll be staying with me and my family" explained Tony.

"Oh, well thank you very much Sir, um, I mean Tony. Is your wife ok with this?" he asked.

"Funny you should ask that. Because I kinda haven't told her yet. But don't worry, Kate won't turn you away" said Tony with a smile. Tony looked around a remembered something. "Oh crap, my mustang is at the house" he said. "Looks like we're gonna have to walk, I hope you don't mind" said Tony

"Not at all" responded Malachi.

It was 0715, and Kate DiNozzo had just woken up. She walked down the hall to the kitchen, where her son Anthony Dominick 'Three" DiNozzo was sitting there, drinking a glass of orange juice. "Morning Mom" he said.

"Good Morning sweetie" she said as she bent down as kissed his forehead. She walked over and started to brew a pot of coffee when she heard two voices talking. She looked through her kitchen window and saw two men standing in front of her husband's 1967 Ford Mustang. "Tony" she said softly.

As Tony and Malachi were walking to Tony's house, they made small talk until Tony decided to get right down to business. "So Mal" said Tony, "Why don't you tell me a few of the Mossad's dirty little secrets" said Tony.

After Laughing at Tony's joke, he responded "Well, 1st of The Kidon. Have you heard of them?" he asked

"Former Nazi Hunters turned just kill everyone who looks at Israel weird? Yeah I've heard of em" said Tony.

"The Kidon force their trainees to begin training at the age of 16. They teach them only to kill, no emotions, no compassion, no remorse, no love, only kill" said Malachi

"Jesus. I mean, Delta Force has often started their trainees off at 16, but they are all volunteers. What about that girl, um what was her name? Ziva? Yeah, Ziva, is she Kidon too?" asked Tony

"Yes she is. Her case is perhaps the most tragic" said Malachi.

"How so?" asked Tony.

"Remember how I told you her father was a… what is your American idiom, for a person with much influence?" asked Malachi

"A Big Player?" asked Tony

"Yes that's it. Remember how I told you that Ziva's father, Eli, is a Big Player at Mossad?" asked Malachi. After Tony nodded yes, he continued. "Eli was trying to show that not only was he tough, but so is his daughter" after a long pause he said "When Ziva was 15, Eli hired a man, another Kidon assassin named Michael Rivkin, to…." He paused, swallowed and continued "To rape Ziva in the back of a weapons carrier" said Malachi. Tony's jaw dropped.

"What the hell is wrong with you people" he yelled as he stopped in his tracks.

"Like I said, Eli David is a monster"

"Alright enough shop talk for now" said Tony.

Tony and Malachi walked down the sidewalk of the street the DiNozzo family lived on. "My house is just up ahead, the one with the blue mustang in front" he said, pointing to it.

"Ah, I see. I have always been fascinated by American Automobiles" replied Malachi. They walked up to the car and Tony started to tell Malachi all about it, when the front door of his house flew open.

"Tony!" screamed Kate as she ran down their front path and as jumped into Tony's arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"Oh my God Kate" he yelled as he squeezed her tightly.

"DAD!" yelled Three as he came running out of the house. Tony pulled his family into a strong embrace. As he watched on, Malachi could only smile.

Realizing that Malachi was just standing there, Tony decided to introduce him. "Oh guys, I would like you both to meet someone. Kate, Three, this is Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon of The Israeli Commandos. He's going to being staying with us for a while. And Malachi, this lovely women to my left is my wonderful wife Kate" said Tony. Malachi reached in for a handshake, but Kate pulled him in for a hug. After getting over the initial shock, Malachi returned the embrace. "and this little man right here is my 8-year old son, Anthony D. DiNozzo III. But you can call him Three" said Tony.

**2 weeks later**

Bethesda, Maryland. "I'm sorry to have to tell you this Gunny, but your wife Shannon and your daughter Kelly have been murdered" said Special Agent Mike Franks.

With tears in his eyes, Gibbs asked "How?"

"Your wife witnessed a drug killing. An NIS Agent was driving her to the courthouse to testify when a sniper shot him. The car lost control and went over an embankment. They were killed in the crash" explained Franks.

"Who was she testifying against?" asked Gibbs

"Pedro Hernandez. We also believe he was the shooter.

"Where can I find this Hernandez?" asked Gibbs

"Now, you know I can't tell you that" said Franks as he held up the folder so Gibbs could see it. He laid it down on the table. "I think I'll take a leak" said Franks as he left the room, leaving Gibbs alone with the file.

**8 days later**

Las Nieves, Mexico. The base of operations for Pedro Hernandez's drug syndicate. Just outside the town, Hernandez had a villa where he lived. Everyday he would drive from the villa in a pickup truck to the town, where he would visit his mistress. Then two hours later, he would drive back. Just above Hernandez's Villa there was a ridge. Armed with only a gillie suit and his M-40 Sniper Rifle, Former USMC Scout Sniper Leroy Jeathro Gibbs sat a top that ridge waiting. _Just wait; I have all the time in the world_ he thought to himself. An hour later, a truck was driving up the dirt road, kicking up all sorts of dust. Gibbs recognized it as Hernandez's red pickup. Gibbs took careful aim and slowly pulled the trigger. The sound of the gun firing shattered the peaceful silence. The bullet flew through the air and crashed through Hernandez's windshield. His truck veered of the road and flipped over a few times before coming to a rest. Gibbs chambered the next round and removed the next unfired bullet. He placed it, standing up on a rock. And with that we walked away.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N- Ok so I now that Chapters 3 and 4 were kinda slow. But things will defiantly pick up in this chapter, and chapters 6-8 will be nothing but pure action!**

** On that note, here is Chapter 5 of "28 Seconds"**

Malachi had been training with The Unit for a month now. He really was enjoying being part of the team. One night, after dinner, Tony told Mal to come with him out to his shed. When they got there, Tony unlocked the shed opened the door, and they both went inside. At the back of the shed, was an old ammo crate. Tony opened the crate and pulled out a wooden box, about the size of a composition notebook. "Went The Unit was founded in 1979, every Operator was issued a 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Pistol with a silencer. A few years ago, The Army moth-balled it. However, the Army's entire stock pile of these guns, magically disappeared" he said as he handed Malachi the box. Malachi opened the box to find the gun that Tony had just described. "Me and Master Sergeant Kearns liberated the stores for this gun. An every since, we've give one to every Unit Member. Welcome to The Unit…. Brother" said Tony.

Malachi was speechless. He didn't know what to say. He had never been accepted into anything like this. "I honestly don't know what to say" said Malachi. "Thank you so much" he said as he couldn't stop smiling.

"And Tomorrow, you'll get your official unit id" said Tony as he rolled up the right sleeve of his shirt, revealing a tattoo of a snake rapped a round a sword. "Every Unit member has this same tattoo" he said.

The next day, they left the Fort Bragg Tattoo parlor, and Malachi had his tattoo, he was officially, in The Unit

**1 year later**

_This is Stuart Dunston for ZNN reporting live from John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York where a 737 carrying a European Trade Delegation has been hijacked. The 737 remains on the ground and the terrorists have yet to make any demands. All we know so far is that the security detail for the delegation has been killed and their bodies dumped out of the plane. It is not known at this time to where terror organization these men belong to, but the style is reminiscent of the 1985 hijacking of TWA Flight 487. We'll have more for you as the situation develops. _

1135 hours, The Cave, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Colonel McCoy had ordered Alpha Team to assemble on short notice. They were all present when he entered The T.O.C or Tactical Operations Center. "Listen up" yelled McCoy. "We got a 737 hijack at JFK International. Runways blocked off so they can't leave, but they got 50 hostages on board. The terrorists have identified themselves as members of The Jihadist Brotherhood, they operate out of Cairo" he said as he turned to DiNozzo. "Tony, you can have 3 guys and yourself. The one you don't pick will go with Billy to Cairo to deal with these assholes. Pick your team" ordered McCoy.

"Hirsch, Ron, and" he paused to think "Malachi" he said. Malachi, who had been looking at the floor, looked up in shock.

"Me?" asked Malachi. "I'm a trained Assassin. Why would you want me for a hostage rescue?" he asked.

"Yes you. And while you may be an assassin, you are an assassin that cares about human lives. You up for it?" asked Tony.

Without a moment's hesitation, Malachi replied "Hell Yeah"

"Ok then" said McCoy. "Looks like Bill and Terry are headed to Egypt". Then he turned to DiNozzo and said "Once your team is on the ground, Posse-Comitatus will be suspended and Tony, you'll be in charge of the situation. Don't let me down Tony" he said.

"I won't Sir" replied Tony

An hour later, both teams were on Learjets headed to there targets. Tony's Team remained quiet for most of the flight, until the ring of Tony's sat phone broke the silence.

"Go for Movie Buff" said Tony, using his new callsign. Malachi, John and Ron all looked on waiting. "What do you mean they tried an assault? How did they approach?" he asked. "Ok thank you. Movie Buff out" he said. After a deep sigh and deep breath he turned to the rest of his team. "The New York National Guard tried an assault on the rear of the plane, they got shot up, and the terrorists killed 2 hostages in response. Here's the problem, the rear of the plane, the air stairs, is there blind spot" said Tony gravely.

"It would appear that the terrorists have a spotter" said Malachi.

"It looks that way yes" said Tony. "The Runway there on at JFK runs along the water, when we get there, I want Blue Star and RC to check all the moorings on the far side of the river" he said looking at Malachi (callsign Blue Star) and Ron (callsign RC).

"Yes Sir" they both said at once. An hour later, the Learjet landed on the last runway at JFK, in hopes of avoiding the terrorists in the plane and any spotters they might have. As they de-planed, they were greeted by an FBI Agent. "I'm Mr. Black" said Tony, "This is Mr. White" he said pointing to Malachi.

"And who are they" asked The FBI Agent as he pointed to John and Ron.

"Mr. White and Mr. Black" said Tony.

"Wait, you said you were Mr. White and Mr. Black" said The Agent

"They're Our Brothers" said Malachi.

"Now, Agent" he paused to read her id badge "Greene, where are the Guardsmen" asked Tony. The Agent led them to a hangar where about 50 National Guardsmen had been setup with cots. "OK Listen up!" yelled Tony. "Who here can show me a Ranger tat?" he asked. 5 men stood up. "Ok then, you 5 with me" he said. The 5 men grabbed their rifles and walked out of the hangar with Tony. "Ok, you two" he pointed to the 1st two rangers "You re with these fine gentlemen" he said pointing to Malachi and Ron. "The rest of you, with me. Move out" ordered Tony.

"Hold it right there" yelled a voice. "General Forrest, Commander, New York National Guard. You are all under my command. And I order you to stand down under I say other wise. Is that clear Lieutenant?" he asked.

"Crystal Sir" said DiNozzo. After the general walked away Tony said "Now Rangers, did you sign up to get out of the house? Or to kick the door in?" asked Tony. When no one backed away, Tony said "alright, let's haul ass" he said.

It took Malachi and Ron 10 minutes to get to the moorings on the far side of the airport. Most of the boats tried up there were quiet, except for one, an old river barge, with a light on inside. Malachi, Ron and the 2 Rangers approach the boat silently. Ron and Malachi drew their sidearms, M9 Barettas. The rangers were armed with M-16 Assault Rifles. The approached the ramp that led down to the barge when 2 men appeared from a door on the barge holding AK-47s. "Allah al ackbar" they yelled as they opened fire. Ron, Malachi and The Rangers quickly returned fire dropping both men. Malachi was the 1st one on the boat as a 3rd man appeared. Malachi reacted quickly and put 3 bullets in the man's chest. The man fell forward onto Malachi and knocked him to the ground.

"Nice shooting partner" said Ron as he walked over and offered Malachi a hand. As he did another terrorist appeared from the door behind Ron. He raised his Makarov pistol and fired 3 shots into Ron's back. "Ahhhh" screamed Ron as he fell to the deck. Malachi quickly raised his gun and emptied the remainder of his clip into the guy's chest.

"Ron!" yelled Malachi as he quickly got top his feet. Ron was bleeding badly from the back. "Ron, don't move, you've got 3 bullets in your spinal column" he said. He turned to the 2 Rangers and yelled "Secure the boat!" The Rangers quickly followed his orders. "Movie Buff. Blue Star. Barge secure, 4 hostiles eliminated. RC down, 3 shots to the spine, need Medivac post ricki-tic" said Malachi into his radio.

"Copy that Blue Star" replied Tony. "Medivac 8 mikes out. Do you have hostile radio?" he asked.

"Affirmative"

"Then mission is still a go" replied Tony. He signaled John and the 3 Rangers to follow him.

"Hold it Lieutenant. Where do you think you are going?" asked Agent Greene.

"To save those hostages. Now if you stand in my way, I have my best man across the river. If you stop me, he will kill you" he said. "You, you, you" he said pointing at Agent Greene and the 2 FBI Agents with him "Panic". "The Rest of you. Let's rock and roll". Tony and his team quickly man their way to the back of the plane. He sent Hirsch (callsign Backdraft) to the air stairs/ rear gate with his shotgun. Mean while he man his way to the main door. Once there 2 of the Rangers boosted Tony up onto their shoulders. Tony quickly and quietly attached a breach charge to the door of the plane and squatted back down. "All callsigns this is Movie Buff. Ready to protect. How Copy?" he asked.

"Backdraft ready" replied Staff Sergeant Hirsch

"Blue Star ready" replied Malachi.

"Do it" ordered Tony.

Malachi picked up the terrorist's radio and said "Yalla Hallan". After a few seconds the rear gate opened and the air stairs were lowered. Backdraft stuck a block of wood into the hydraulic mechanism, in order to prevent the stairs from being retracted. Then Hirsch and the remaining Ranger threw flash bangs up in the air on both sides of the plane. When the bangs went off, Tony flicked the switch on the trigger for the breach charge. The door to the plane blew in, killing on of the terrorist who was standing behind the door. Hirsch reacted quickly firing into the air stairs killing the terrorist guarding it.

Tony quickly hoped into the plane with his M9 drawn. One of the terrorists went for a detonator, in order to set off the C4 charges the terrorists had planted. Tony quickly fired two shots into the man. He quickly made his way through the cabin, killing 4 more terrorists. With his clip empty, he discharged it and quickly loaded a new one. Once he did, a terrorist stood up from his seat, holding a knife to a women's throat.

"I kill her. I kill her" he yelled repeatedly. With careful aim, Tony fired off 1 shot. The bullet hit the terrorist right between the eyes. He dropped to the floor and the knife fell with him. Behind him, the 1st terrorist he shot tried to grab the detonator again. Tony quickly drew his knife and threw it. The k-bar went straight threw the man's trachea. Walking over, Tony pulled out the detonator. Then bending down, he pulled the knife out of the terrorist's throat and wiped it clean on the man's shirt before putting it back into it's sheath.

Standing back up he yelled "This is The United States Army. Quickly and quietly. Put your hands on top of your heads and get The Hell off my plane!" the hostages quickly followed his orders and de-planed via the air stairs. Tony let out a long deep breath and leaned back into one of the chairs. He sat there for a minute before pulling out his sat phone.

_"McCoy" _answered The Colonel.

"737 secure. All hostiles down. All remaining hostages secure. RC down. 3 rounds to the spin. Has been Medivac out" said Tony

"_Fine Job Tony" _said McCoy.

"Thank You Sir" he said hanging up. He slipped the phone back into the pocket on his jeans. He stood up and walked toward the air stairs. Malachi and Hirsch were waiting for him at the bottom.

"Ron is being Medivac to Fort Dix in New Jersey. Once he's stable, he'll be transferred to the base hospital at Bragg" said John.

"Alright then. Malachi, commandeer us a HUMVEE. We're headed for Dix" said Tony.

**5 Hours Later**

Cairo Egypt. Master Sergeant Kearns and Staff Sergeant Clarkin walked down a busy Cairo street wearing simple civilian attire, there target, Kabir al Faqeem, was sitting at an outside table in at a café just up the street. They both drew there sidearms, M1911s, and kept them down at their sides. Then were 50 feet from the café when Kearns said one word "Go". Both Kearns and Clarkin started sprinting towards the café. He they got there, they raised their weapons and both emptied there clips into Faqeem, "Godfather Style" with their clips empty, they took off running back down the street.

Tony, Malachi and John Hirsch entered the base hospital at Fort Dix. From the front desk they were directed to the ICU were they met with a Doctor Stevens. "I'm Sorry to tell you this boys, but Staff Sergeant Cheale is paralyzed from the waist down" said Dr. Stevens, gravely

**A/N- So I hoped you enjoyed chapter 5. The next few chapters will be dealing with Operation Gothic Serpent aka "Black Hawk Down"! **

**So stay tuned for the next exciting chapter of "28 Seconds"**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N- I would like to dedicate the following chapters concerning Operation Gothic Serpent to the loving memories of US Army Delta Force Snipers, Master Sergeant Gary Gordon, and Sergeant 1****st**** Class Randy Shughart. They gave their lives so that others could live free. **

** Also, how they are portrayed in this story should have no reflection on there distinguished military careers. R.I.P Brothers 3**

**Previously in "28 Seconds": **

_"I'm Sorry to tell you this Boys, but Staff Sergeant Cheale is paralyzed from the waist down"_

**And now the next exciting Chapter of "28 Seconds"**

Ron Cheale survived the shooting, put he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down. He had survived, but he would be in a wheel chair for the rest of his life. and with that, he was officially out of The Unit.

**18 Months Later**

August 31st, 1993. Mogadishu, Somalia. Operation Gothic Serpent. US Army TASK FORCE RANGER is sent to Somalia to kill or capture Somalian Warlord General Mohamed Farrah Aidid. They remain there for a Month, taking no action.

October 2nd, 1993.

"Ten Hut!" yelled Colonel Scott McCoy, Unit Commander as Major General William Garrison, Commanding General of TF RANGER entered the tent.

"At ease" said The General as he sat at the head of the table. "Gentlemen, we have received credible intel that tomorrow at 0915 hours, General Aidid will be holding a conference with his top lieutenants inside the Bakara Market. This is the opportunity we've been waiting for Gentlemen. I've just finished speaking with President Clinton, and the Op has been approved" said The General. "Here's how it's gonna play out. Phase 1- Delta will insert on to the roof top via little birds. They will make there way inside and secure the hostiles for evac. At the same time, the 4 Ranger Chalks, under the overall command of Captain Morrell, will form and secure a one-block perimeter around the target building. Phase 2- The Ranger ground convoy, which will depart from home base at 0830, under Major Colleton, will arrive with the HUMVEEs and ½ Tons. Once there, The Rangers and Delta will load up with the convoy for exfill. Total op time, 1 hour 15. Also, The Go word is 'Irene'. Any questions?" he asked.

"Just one Sir" said recently promoted Captain Anthony D. DiNozzo Jr. "Sir, there are two Delta Teams here. Alpha Team, under my command, and Bravo under Captain Bauer. Now you said one team takes the Op. so, who's going, and what happens to the other team?" he asked.

"Your Team is going Tony" said Colonel McCoy. "Jack" he said looking down the table to Captain Jack Bauer, "Your team will be in reserve"

"Yes Sir" said Captain Bauer.

"What about Air Cover Sir? And ground support? HUMVEEs and ½ Tons would really stand up against RPGs" said Tony.

"Well I did request M113 APCs, M1A1 Abrams MBTs and AC-130 Spectre Gunships, but it seems that Secretary of Defense Aspin felt that they wouldn't suit our 'Peace Keeping' Mission" he said as he used air quotes for "Peace Keeping". "Captain, you'll have Blackhawks and Little Birds for support"

"Yes Sir" said Tony, not happily

"Ok then, if there are no further questions" said The General. He paused to see if there were anymore. "Ok then, dismissed" he said as he turned to leave.

"Ten Hut" yelled McCoy as everyone snapped to attention as General Garrison exited the tent.

A few minutes later, Tony was walking away from the tent when he heard someone call his name. "Tony! Hey Tony!" yelled Captain Bauer as he ran up next to Tony.

"What's up Jack?" he asked.

"Level with me, how'd you get McCoy to pick your team for The Op?" he asked.

"What do you mean? He just decided. I had nothing to do with his decision" said Tony.

"Really? On the level?" asked Jack.

"Yes Jack, Really, on the level" said Tony as he smiled.

"Well, alright then, good luck tomorrow" said Jack as he hustled off. Tony then turned toward the hangar where his team was bivouacked. It was now just the 5 of them, Sergeant 1st Class John Hirsch, Sergeant 1st Class Terry Clarkin, 1st Sergeant Bill Kearns, Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon, and Tony. Just prior to The Unit being deployed to Somalia, Sergeant Kearns had informed Tony that when his enlistment expired at the end of 1994, he would not be re-enlisting. Since that day, Tony had come to rely on Malachi a great deal. And despite Malachi technically being the most junior in rank of the 5 men, he had turned out to be Tony's new right hand man.

"Where's Malachi" asked Tony as Mal seemed to be missing from the squad bay.

"Out doing a reccie-reccie with Shughart and Gordon" said Kearns, not looking up from his poker hand.

"They in The Mog?" Tony asked.

"Last time I checked" said Kearns, still not looking up from his poker hand. With that, Tony walked out of the squad bay and ran over to the flight line. When he got there he saw Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant prepping his UH-60 Blackhawk for takeoff.

"Hey Yo! Nightstalker!" yelled Tony as he approached.

"Tony!" Mike yelled back. "What's up Brotha?" he asked.

"You heading out to pickup my boys?" asked Tony.

"Boy is more like it. Only Ben-Gidon is yours. Shughart and Gordon are on Jack's Team" said Mike, smiling.

"Whatever, you their designated driver?" asked Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied Mike.

"Give me 2 minutes to grab my rifle" said Tony as he sprinted off. Tony came running back 3 minutes later. He had already been dressed in BDUs, but now he was wearing his black Kevlar vest over his chest. His name "DiNozzo" was stitched across the front. He had also but on his arm and knee pads which here SOP for all Delta Operators and Agents. _Hell if I know why though_ he thought. His helmet was different too. Unlike the coalscuttle everyone else wore, Delta wore BMX like helmets, _Again, no idea why_ he thought. With his M9 in his waist holster, a .45 ACP in his shoulder holster, a his K-Bar strapped to his thigh, he slung his M-16 across his chest and climbed into the back of the Blackhawk. List all Delta, his M-16 was specially modified with a 35-round clip, and an ACOG scope. The flight to The Mog was a quick one. When they reached the outskirts of the city, they found the 3 men, all dressed in civvies, waiting for them. "Well back" said Tony with a smile. "Did I miss anything fun?" he asked.

"We have their approximate strength. About 2000 militia, mostly small arms, Makarovs, Tokarevs, AKs, PKMs, RPGs, and a few technicals armed with 50s" said Malachi.

"Fun. I think Y'all should know, we're going in 0900 tomorrow. We're in the lead Mal" said Tony.

"What about us?" asked Master Sergeant Gary Gordon.

"Well, you two are on sniper duty from the helos. The rest of your team is on standby" said Tony. The next few minutes passed in silence, until they flew over a field with a herd of wild hogs running around in it.

"Hey" yelled Tony so that he could be heard. "You boys hungry?" he asked. Holding up his rifle. Malachi, Randy and Gary could only laugh

**One Hour Later**

3 200-pound wild boars were being slow roasted over a fire as the chefs prepared dinner. "DiNozzo. What the hell is this?" asked Colonel McCoy

Smiling his trademark 1000-watt smile, Tony replied "Target Practice Sir, gotta stay sharp". _is that from a movie?_ He thought. _Bridge at Remagen, MGM, 1968_.

"Very funny Captain" he said as he looked down at Tony's rifle. "Is that a hot weapon. Why is your safety not on? Delta or no Delta, that's a hot weapon" rambled on the Colonel.

"This is my safety right here sir" said Tony as he raised his right pointer finger in front of his forehead and curled it up twice.

"Smart Ass" replied the Colonel.

As Alpha team ate their dinner, Tony laid a schematic of the target building on the table. "Ok, we're in the lead tomorrow boys. We only get one shot at this, so lets do it right. We will be inserted on the roof of the target building via Little Bird. There are 2 doors on the roof. I'll take the 1st, Mal" he paused to look at Malachi "You're on my Six" he said. Then he looked at Sergeant Kearns, "Bill, you take John and Terry, then you hit the 2nd door" he said.

"Yes Sir" replied Sergeant Kearns.

" once inside, we make our way to the 2nd floor. Try to take as many of them alive as you can. But, more importantly, defend yourselves. Y' all know how I hate writing letters to parents" said Tony. "Once we've secured the targets, we prep them for exfill with the main convoy. When the convoy arrives, we load the prisoners into the ½ tons and exfill out with The Rangers" he said. "Get Some rest boys" he said as he walked away.

It was 2100 and a bright moon was in the crystal clear sky. Unlike back home, there was no problem seeing the stars here. Tony leaded against the outside wall of the hangar, as he thought about his son Three and his beautiful wife Kate. His train of thought was unceremoniously interrupted by the sound of approaching footsteps. Tony looked up and saw his Senior NCO standing there. "Billy" he said.

"Sir" he replied.

"You know Bill, you never told me why you aren't gonna re-up next year" said Tony.

"Hell, Top" said Bill. Top was the long standing nickname for a Delta Team Leader. "You know why. I'm married now" he said, holding up his left hand, showing off his gold wedding band. "Mary already had 3 step sons before I met her. And we're looking to have another kid" he said.

"Yeah I know Bill. I hate being away from Kate and Three all the time too" said Tony. "Hit the sack Bill. That's and order" said Tony, smiling.

"Yes Sir" said Kearns as he saluted and walked away.

By 0900 the next morning, Alpha Team was prepped and ready. Some of the Rangers looked on as Tony applied a piece of tape that read "B- Negative" to knee pad. "Can I help you Private?" asked Tony.

"Ah, no sir" said the nervous private. Tony just smiled and walked away. As he walked to the flight line, Tony watched as Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant 1st Class Randy Shughart climbed into the Blackhawk they would be using as their sniper platform. Randy saw him and gave him a nod. Tony returned it. He walked up to his team and saw all of them were ready to go.

"Lock and Load" yelled Tony as he sat down on the side plate of the Little Bird that would carry him into battle. Engines began turning over as 6 UH-60 Blackhawks and 3 Little Birds fired up their engines.

Tony's radio cracked, as did everyone else's as they all heard a familiar voice "_All callsigns, this is General Garrison. All callsigns, Irene, I say again, Irene. Mission is a go. I say again, all callsigns, Mission is a go" _

**A/N- I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. The next few chapters will introduce some new characters, and will focus on The Battle of Mogadishu. It will also tell the heroic and legendary tale, of 2 men, 2 heroes, who made the Ultimate Sacrifice, in the name of Freedom**

**P.S- Please Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N- for dramatic purposes, the events portrayed in my story many differ from actual history. That being said, this in no way should diminish the heroism, valor and honor displayed by members of The Delta Force, The US Army Rangers and The Nightstalkers during Operation Gothic Serpent. **

**Previously in "28 Seconds"**

"_All callsigns, this is General Garrison. All callsigns, Irene, I say again, Irene. Mission is a go. I say again, all callsigns, Mission is a go"_

**And Now... The Continuation of "28 Seconds"**

"Irene!" Alpha Team all yelled in unison and then laughed. The flight to the city took about 20 minutes. Along the way, they all took turns yelling out famous quotes.

"America Loves a Winner, and will not tolerate a loser- Patton"

"No man ever won a war by dying for his country; he won it by making the other poor bastard die for his- Patton"

"Give Me Liberty or give me death- Patrick Henry"

"This is no democracy, it is a dictatorship. When I speak it is law" yelled Tony

"Who said that?" asked Terry.

"Elizabeth Romanov, Czarina of Imperial Russia, and Daughter of Peter The Great" said Malachi, which made everyone laugh.

"I love the smell of napalm in the morning… smells like victory- Apocalypse Now"

"I'd say marriage is the chief cause of divorce" said Tony

"Who said that?" asked Malachi, confused.

"Frank Burns" said Bill laughing.

This went one until the pilot yelled "90 seconds". Malachi looked down and saw black smoke rising from several spots below.

"What are they burning?' asked Malachi.

"Tires" yelled Kearns "They're signaling the militia that we are coming"

"How do you know that" asked John.

"I saw in Libya back in 86'" replied Kearns.

"30 Seconds!" yelled the pilot. Tony could see the target building now. The Little Bird settled only inches off the roof as Alpha Team scrambled off. At the same time, Tony saw ropes drop from 4 of the Blackhawks as the Rangers descended to form and secure the perimeter.

"Let's move" yelled Tony as he approached the 1st door with Malachi. With a nod, Tony kicked it in and fired 3 rounds, killing 2 men at the base of the stairs. Malachi grabbed a flash bang from his web gear, pulled the pin and tossed it down the stairs. Then, both he and Tony turned away as it went off. They rushed down the stairs and quickly eliminated several militiamen. The target building had 2 stories. There was a balcony that ran along the inside of the top floor, and an enclosed courtyard below. Tony looked across to the other balcony and saw Kearns, Terry and John proceeding to the do of the conference room. There were 2 doors, one at each end. Kearns and Tony each kicked in a door and tossed in flash bangs. After they went off, they rushed inside. Both Tony and Malachi started yelling "get down" in Arabic. With Kearns, Tony and Malachi keeping them covered. Terry and John started using zip-ties to tie up the prisoners.

"Captain, what are these?" asked Kearns as he picked up documents from the table. "What language is that?" he asked.

"Hebrew" said Tony. After reading them over quickly he said "these are Israeli intel reports. Mossad" said Tony shocked. Tony quickly gathered the papers and stuffed them in his satchel. "Bill, check the street" ordered Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied Bill as he left the room and ran down the stairs. About a minute later, Tony heard him yelling his name.

"What is it 1st Sergeant?" asked Tony.

"Major Colleton and The Convoy are here Sir" replied Bill.

"Right" he said. "Terry, John, Mal, get the targets downstairs for exfill" he ordered, as he left the room. Hustling down the stairs, he was met by Major Tom Colleton.

"Tony!" yelled Tom Colleton as he extended his hand.

"Tom" answered Tony as he shook the Major's hand. Behind Tony, the rest of Alpha Team brought the dozen-or so prisoners down the stairs. "I believe these are for you" said Tony as the prisoners all lined up. "Oh, and these" he said, taking the satchel off his shoulder. "I need you to get these to Command" he said.

"Can do" replied Colleton.

Tony looked at his watch "Hmm, that only took 6 minutes" said DiNozzo, smiling.

"Good Job Tony" said Tom.

Suddenly, all there radios cracked to life _"Command, this is Super Six-Four, this is Super Six-Four, an RPG took out our rotor and we are going down. I say again we are going down_". Tony and Major Colleton quickly ran outside and saw a Blackhawk spinning out of control as it spiraled to the ground. "_I say again, Super Six-Four is g" _the transmission was abruptly severed as there was a loud crashing sound about a ½ mile away.

Tony tried to raise them on his radio "Super Six-Four this is Alpha-01. Super Six-Four this is Alpha-01, come in". there was no response. A Ranger came running up to Major Colleton.

"Sir, we have one casualty, Private Todd Blackburn, he fell from the helo sir. He needs to be exfilled ASAP" said The Corporal.

"Ok, Sergeant Pila! Sergeant Martin!" yelled Major Colleton. Quickly, both Sergeant Dominic Pila, and Sergeant Chester Martin came running up. "Take three HUMVEEs and get Private Blackburn out of here" he ordered.

"Yes Sir" they both replied.

"Malachi" yelled Tony. He waited for Malachi to look at him, then he said "Go with em" he ordered.

"Right" Malachi responded. He ran off and jumped into the passenger seat of the lead HUMVEE. Sergeant Martin was driving and Sergeant Pila was on the 50. Cal.

"Command, This Alpha-01, request permission to secure Super Six-Four Crash sight over" said Tony into his radio.

"Alpha-01 this Delta Command, request approved" replied Colonel McCoy.

"Copy that" said Tony. Tony ran out of the building, looking for the Commander of The Ranger assault teams, Captain Irving Morrell. "Irving!" he yelled.

"Yeah What?" yelled Morrell. "Oh Tony, over here" he yelled. Tony ran over to him to explain the situation.

"Irv, we got a Blackhawk down, ½ mile to the west. I need your Rangers to get over there and secure it, post ricki-tick" he said. "My team will be with you. Got it?" he asked.

"Sua Sponte" replied Irving. Then Captain Morrell grabbed his radio and said "Listen up Rangers. We got a helo down, ½ mile west of target building. Chalk 1, take the east side, Chalk 2 take the south. Chalk 3 the north. Chalk 4, get our guys outta that bird. Rangers Lead the Way. Let's move" he ordered.

Meanwhile, The 3 HUMVEEs under Malachi's Command were speeding through the streets of the Bakara Market. They were taking fire from all sides. Malachi was firing his M-16 out of the side window, when the 50. Cal suddenly went silent. Both Sergeant Martin and Malachi turned and saw Sergeant Pila had been hit. "Pila!" yelled Martin as Malachi reached back to check for a pulse. When he couldn't find one he shook his head. "Command, we have one K.I.A, repeat, we have one K.I.A, Sergeant Dominick Pila" said Martin into the radio. "Someone get on that 50" yelled Martin.

"It is mine" yelled Malachi as he moved into the back and up through the hatch to the Machine gun.

As Alpha Team and The Rangers made their way to the crash sight, they encountered sporadic fire from several Militia hard points. With all the resistance they encountered, it took them 20 minutes to reach the crash site. " .Move" yelled Tony as The Rangers took up positions around the crash site. The only problem was that the Rangers have the high ground. They were taking fire from all sides.

"RPG!" someone yelled. The Rocket hit the wall near were Tony was standing. The force from the impact knocked him to the ground. Everything went fuzzy for a few moments as Tony tried to re-gain his equilibrium. Sergeant Kearns came running over to check on him.

"Top!" he yelled. Tony shook his head violently, as if to shake at the cob webs loose.

"I'm ok Bill. I'm ok" said Tony as he got to his feet.

As they tried to proceed to the crash site, The Convoy under the Command of Major Colleton kept hitting road block after road block. "Command this is Colleton, I keep hitting roadblocks, can the spotters fine a clear path" said Major Colleton over the radio.

"Negative Major, spotters have lost visual due to the smoke from the fires" replied the radio operator.

"Dammit" yelled Colleton. Just then and RPG barely missed his HUMVEE, hitting the ground next to the drive side door. The shrapnel sprayed all around, some of it hit Colleton's driver, Corporal Curtis Jones in the side of the face.

"AHHHHH!" he screamed as he shut his left eye. The whole left side of his face was torn up, he looked like Harvey Dent from Batman.

"Jones!" yelled Colleton.

"I'm ok Sir. I'm ok" he replied. "Sir, I can barely see sir" he said.

"It's ok son. We're going home" he said.

Tony's Team and The Rangers had tried unsuccessfully several times to reach the men trapped inside the down Blackhawk, but they were still pinned down by constant enemy fire. suddenly Tony's Radio cracked to life "_Command, this is Major Colleton, Convoy has taken several casualties, cannot locate route to crash site. Request permission to return to Home Base to re-access and re-arm" _said Major Colleton over the radio.

"_Tom, this is Colonel McCoy, request granted" _said McCoy.

"Captain DiNozzo Sir, did Command just tell us to go fuck ourselves?" asked Corporal Reggie Bartlett.

"In a Nutshell Corporal, now keep shooting. Then Tony heard a loud bang. His Radio came to life again, this Time it was Mike Durant.

_"Command this is Super Six-Six, I've been hit, and I'm going down. Repeat going" _was all Durant had managed to get out before his bird came crashing down. Only this time it was miles away.

"_Super Six-Six, this is command over" _said McCoy over the radio. No reply

_"Command this Bravo-02. I see small arms fire coming from the cockpit. Request permission to secure crash site #2. Over." Said Master Sergeant Gary Gordon over the Radio._

_"Sergeant, This is General Garrison. We will not be able to get to the crash site for several hours. Are you sure you know what you're asking?" _said the General. The re was a long pause.

_"Yes Sir We Do" _replied Sergeant Gordon.

_"Very Well. Permission Granted" _ordered Garrison.

The Blackhawk Shughart and Gordon were in dropped them off at crash site #2, then got the hell outta there. The 2 men quickly made there way to the cockpit and pulled Chief Warrant Officer Durant out. They brought him inside a nearby building.

"Watch our backs" said Randy as he threw Durant an MP5.

"Where's the Rescue Squad?" asked Durant

"We Are the Rescue Squad" said Randy.

"Colonel McCoy, what is the ETA for Sergeant Ben-Gidon's Convoy?" asked General Garrison.

"They should be arriving now sir" said McCoy.

"_Command this is Bravo-03, Bravo-02 is down I say again Bravo-0" _was all that Malachi heard over the radio.

_"Bravo-02, Bravo-02, do you copy over"_ said McCoy over the radio. No Reply. "Bravo-03, Bravo-03. how copy, over" said McCoy. Still no reply.

"Gary, Randy, this is Alpha-01 over" yelled Tony. No Reply. The Hearts of the all the Delta Force Operators and Agents sank.

**A/N- This Chapter is dedicated to the loving memories of the following persons:**

**Master Sergeant Gary Gordon- US Army Delta Force**

**Sergeant 1****st**** Class Randy Shughart** **- US Army Delta Force**

**Sergeant Dominick Pila- US Army Rangers**

**For there Valor, Honor and selfless Heroism, Both Master Sergeant Gary Gordon and Sergeant 1****st**** Class Randy Shughart were posthumously awarded The Congressional Medal of Honor. R.I.P Brother 3**

**Sua Sponte: Of Their Own Accord**


	8. Chapter 8

**And Now- The Continuation of "28 Seconds"**

Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon was absolutely shocked. Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart were dead. He had never seen such selfless sacrifice. They were 2 of his closest friends. Other than Tony, they had been 2 of the 1st Unit members to embrace him as one of them. Malachi quickly snapped out of his depression as he thought, _Tony, My Best Friend, he is still out there. I need to help him._ Malachi looked down at his right forearm. There, right there was the tattoo of the red snake wrapped around a sword. The Unit Tattoo._ We I got this tattoo and he gave me my hush-puppy pistol, when he welcomed me into The Unit, His Family, he called me his brother. Well he is my brother too._

"Sergeant" yelled Colonel McCoy. Malachi quickly snapped to attention and saluted.

"Yes Sir" replied Malachi. His stomach turned as he watched 2 medics remove Sergeant Pila's body from the HUMVEE.

"You did a hell of a job Sergeant" said McCoy. Then they both turned and saw Captain Bauer and two of his men walking toward them, all decked-out in Delta gear. "Where the Hell you think you're going Jack?" asked McCoy.

"I just lost two of my men. What does it look like I'm doing" said Jack.

"Stand down Captain, you have received no such orders" yelled McCoy.

"2 things Colonel. 1- Fuck You… Sir" said Jack as he held up his middle finger for a good old fashioned 1-finger salute. The look on McCoy's face was priceless. Malachi put his hand over his mouth to conceal his laughter.

"Something funny, Sergeant Ben-Gidon?" asked McCoy

"No Sir" he replied, still laughing.

"And 2- if you really wanna stop us, shoot us" said Bauer. McCoy was now really pissed off. He stormed away fuming. "Malachi, you coming with?" asked Jack.

"Yes Sir" he replied quickly.

"Good. You drive" said Jack as he got into the passenger's seat of the lead HUMVEE. "King, Hopper, take the 2nd HUMVEE" he ordered. Then Sergeant Chester Martin came running up.

"Captain Bauer, Sir" said Martin.

"Yes Sergeant?" asked Bauer.

"Can I come with you too?" he asked.

"Get in the back" said Jack as he threw his thumb over his shoulder.

"Thank You Sir" said Martin as he jumped into the backseat of the HUMVEE.

"Alright, let's roll" ordered Bauer as two more rangers jumped into the back seats of the second HUMVEE.

"Straight back the Market sir?" asked Malachi, as he put the HUMVEE in gear.

"No, drive around the outskirts of the city, avoid all those roadblocks. Once we get to the far side, we'll let the 2 Rangers in the back of King and Hopper's HUMVEE take the HUMVEEs back to base. Meanwhile, you, me, King, Hopper, and Sergeant Martin here, are going to proceed to crash site #2 on foot. Everyone got that?" he asked.

"Yes Sir" replied Malachi, along with everyone else.

It was 1700 hours inside The Bakara Market. Tony had been engaged in this Deadly firefight for about 9 hours. Then, just as quickly as the shooting started, it stopped. The guns of the Militia Men fell silent. "What the hell" said Corporal Bartlett.

Tony looked at his watch.

"Stand easy boys, it 1700, its '5 o'clock' prayer time for most of em" he said. Then an idea dawned on him. "Kearns, front and center" he said.

Kearns picked himself up off the floor of the bombed out store front they were occupying. "What's up Top?" he asked.

"While these motherfuckers are pre-occupied with their prayer, take yourself, a medic and 3 Rangers and get your six out to that helo. Got it?" Tony asked.

"Yes Sir" as Kearns hustled off to assemble his team. With that, Tony walked slowly into the back of the store. He unclipped his helmet, took it off, and dropped it on the floor next to him as he leaned up against the far wall and slid down to the floor. He let out a deep breathe and he started to pray

`"Hail Mary, Full of Grace, The Lord is with the.

Blessed are thou, amongst Women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy whom Jesus.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and till the hour of our death.

Amen" he finished. Then he looked around and saw he wasn't the only one praying. One the other side of the room, Corporal Bartlett was clutching Rosary beads. He looked really scared. "Corporal Bartlett. You ok son?" asked Tony.

Looking up, Bartlett saw it was Tony who was talking to him. "Yes Sir, Captain. I'm ok. Thank you Sir" replied Bartlett.

"How old are you Corporal?" asked Tony

"19" he replied.

"Where you from?" asked Tony.

"Richmond. I was a pharmacist's assistant there when I was in High School before I joined up" said Bartlett. "Why you asking me all this sir?" he asked.

"I figured it would take your mind off being scared" said Tony. "Do you know what the difference is between a hero and a coward is?" asked Tony.

"No Sir" replied Reggie.

"Usually, both a just really scared. A hero is someone who's brave enough to do something about it" said Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied. Then, Tony heard it. The unmistakable sharp shrill of an incoming mortar round.

"Oh Shit" he said as he ran out of the back room. "Incoming!" he yelled as Mortar rounds started pelting the square. "Take Cover! Everybody Take cover!" he yelled.

Meanwhile, at 1745, Major Colleton's Convoy Finally returned. They had gone through hell in The Bakara Market. Major Colleton Stepped out of his HUMVEE, where he was greeted by both Colonel McCoy and General Garrison. "What the hell took you so long Tom?" asked McCoy.

"It was 1500 when we finally decided to head back. Then it took us 2 and ½ more hours to navigate our way out of there" he said.

"Alright fine, why don't you grab a shower and prep for de-brief" said McCoy.

"No" said Major Colleton Defiantly.

"Excuse me Major?" asked McCoy.

"I said No Sir. We still have Rangers out there. God dammit Sir, Your own men are out there" yelled Colleton.

"Who cares, Bauer is an insubordinate asshole, Ben-Gidon isn't even an American or a Ranger, and DiNozzo, fuck him, that Son-of-a-Bitch has a medal that should be mine. I hope he fuckin buys it" said McCoy. At that point, Tom absolutely lost it. He clenched his fist tightly, and threw a devastating right hook. The punch slammed into McCoy's jaw with blind fury. McCoy was dropped to the hangar floor, his lip busted wide open and his nose broken.

"Did you see that General?" asked McCoy screaming.

Garrison laughed and said "Yes I did. Nice one-punch knockout Major".

"General, this... this… swine just struck me, I demand you do something" screamed McCoy.

"You're Right, Colonel" Said General Garrison. "Captain Mann!" he yelled.

Captain Hollis Mann of The Military Police came running over. "Yes Sir" she said, as she saluted.

"Captain Mann, place Colonel McCoy under arrest" he ordered.

"WHAT?!" screamed McCoy.

"The Charges are dereliction of duty, conduct unbecoming, and Article 99: Cowardice in the face of the enemy" ordered Garrison.

"Yes Sir" said Captain Mann as she slapped the cuffs on McCoy and dragged him away.

"Major Colleton" yelled Garrison.

"Yes Sir" he replied.

"Get every available man we have and head for the soccer stadium. By the time you get there, The 10th Mountain should be all fired up" ordered Garrison.

"Yes Sir" replied Colleton.

"Oh, and Major" said Garrison. He waited till Tom was facing him and then said "We need to have a serious discussion when you get back, I have a job offer for you" said Garrison as he walked away.

"OK listen up Gentlemen" yelled Colleton. "We got Rangers and Delta still out there. We're Rangers, they're Rangers. They are our Brothers" he yelled. "Let's go. Secure the prisoners with the MPs, then reload on weapons, ammo, and water and get your asses back here. Now Let's Move it!" he yelled.

At 1805 hours, Bauer, Malachi, and Staff Sergeants King, Hopper and Martin reached the downed Blackhawk at crash site #2. They looked around and saw a few boys playing inside of it. "_Hey, I think this belongs to me"_ said Captain Bauer in Arabic. When the boys saw them and their weapons, they quickly ran off. They 5 man team quickly searched the crash site.

"Hey, look at this" said Malachi, as he held up an M-14 Sniper Rifle.

"That's Randy's" said Jack, not smiling.

"I'll take it" said King as he reached forward and grabbed the rifle. After he slung it over his shoulder he said "This belonged to our brother, and with his brothers, it shall stay". Bauer, Malachi, Hopper and Martin all nodded. Bauer took a C-4 charge off his web gear and placed it on the downed bird.

"Clear out" ordered Jack as the 5 man team pulled back. Bauer detonated the C4, and the downed bird exploded.

"Why'd you do that Captain?" asked Malachi

"To make sure it stays out of enemy hands" replied Jack. "Command, this is Bravo-01, crash-site #2 secure" Bauer said over the radio.

The shelling went on for about an hour. Fortunately, The Rangers only took a few casualties. It was 1830 and the sun was just beginning to set. "Drag Strip, this is Movie Buff, sitrep over" said Tony into his radio.

"_Movie Buff, this is Drag Strip, my team is ok, no casualties during shelling_" replied 1st Sergeant Kearns.

"What above the helo crew?" asked Tony.

"_3 dead when we got here. 2 wounded, but stable_" replied Kearns

"Copy that Drag Strip, Movie Buff out" said Tony. Tony then looked around and saw Corporal Bartlett. The Corporal was looking rather worse for wear.

When Reggie saw Tony looking at him he asked "The Convoy's coming back, right Sir?"

"Don't worry Corporal. I know Tom Colleton, and he'll never leave a fellow Ranger behind" assured Tony. With that, Reggie nodded a sigh of relief.

By 2000 hours, Bauer and Malachi's Team were within 1000 yards to the west of crash site #1. Bauer looked around and saw a technical, an old, rusty Ford El-Camino, with a mortar on the back. Then he saw another technical, a rusty Toyota Pickup with a Soviet PKM Machine Gun mounted on it. In the bed of the old Toyota was what appeared to be a Militia Commander barking orders. Night had fallen, so everyone on the team had put on their night vision goggles. "Ok listen up, here's what we're gonna do" said Bauer as everyone gathered in tight to listen.

_Oh this stupid, this is really stupid_ Sergeant Chester Martin thought to himself. With his night vision goggles on, and his M-16 primed & ready, locked & loaded, we slowly walked up the 1st technical. The militia men were to busy servicing the mortar to notice him. He walked right up to them and said "Hi Guys". At first, the Militiamen were in complete shock. They were utterly stunned that an American was standing right in front of them, also that fact that probably none of them spoke English didn't help. Then suddenly, Malachi, Bauer, King and Hopper appeared behind the militiamen from seemingly out of no where. With garrotes in hand they took down the four militiamen, breaking their necks and severing their vocal chords, quickly and quietly.

"Alright" said Bauer. "King, Hop, man that mortar and sent that Militia Commander to hell" ordered Bauer.

As King worked the knobs on the Mortar he asked "Range?"

"400" replied Bauer. King adjusted the knobs to the correct settings, and Hopper dropped in a mortar shell. It went up, and came right down onto the Toyota truck, and the Militia Commander. The truck exploded into a fireball. T

Chester watched all this unfold in aw. _Wow, these guys are for real. How do I get in on this_ he thought, as he started to think of how he could join the Unit.

**A/N- I hope you guys enjoyed Chapter 8. The Battle of Mogadishu should be wrapped up within the next chapter or two, but you never know.**

**-So Colonel McCoy is out, but unfortunately, this will not be the last we see of him.**

**-also, what did you guys think of Sergeant Chester Martin and Major Tom Colleton?**

**-And what job offer does General Garrison have in store for Major Colleton.**

**-IF you have any guesses or comments on Major Colleton, or Sergeant Martin, **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW! LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N- And now the continuation of "28 Seconds"**

Tony's head quickly snapped over to the west as he heard a large explosion, and after a second or two saw a huge fireball rise above the buildings. "What the hell" he said. Then his radio cracked.

"_Alpha-01, this is Bravo-01, over"_ said Captain Bauer.

"Bravo-01, this is Aplaha-01, over" Tony replied.

_"Tony, I got a 5 man team, 1000 yards west of your position. We're coming in, need suppressing and cover fire over" _said Jack.

"Roger that" replied Tony. "Alpha-01 out". He turned back to his men and yelled, "We got friendlys coming in from the west, they need cover fire" he ordered. The Rangers opened up with an impressive amount of suppressive fire. One by one, Bauer's team made it safely to cover. "Welcome to Hotel Hell" Tony said with a laugh and a smile.

"Ok listen up, spread yourselves out amongst the Ranger" ordered Bauer. "Where's Morrell?" jack asked Tony.

"He didn't make it this far. He's got a casualty collection point about 2 klicks east" said Tony. "Any news on the convoy?" Tony asked.

"No, we left before Tom got back" said Jack.

By 2200 hours, what was left of Major Colleton's convoy had arrived at The Soccer Stadium, where the 10th Mountain Division was located. When his HUMVEE came to a stop, Major Colleton jumped out and was greeted by a Tank Commander named Captain Michael Pound. "Major Colleton Sir" said Pound saluting.

Tom returned the salute and said "Captain?"

"Pound, Michael Pound" he replied.

"Captain Pound. How long until the 10th is ready to move?" asked Colleton.

"I don't have that information Sir, but I can take you to my CO, Lieutenant Colonel Pershing, he'll have that answer for you" said Pound.

"Very well. Lead the way Captain" said Colleton, reluctantly. Captain Pound led Major Colleton through rows of tents. As they walked, Colleton notice a rather long line of Tanks and other armored vehicles for what appeared to be a gas pump. Captain Pound stopped at the last row of tents. In front of him was a large tent. Colleton opened the flap and walked inside.

"Who the hell are you?" yelled a Lieutenant Colonel with a thick Georgian accent.

"Major Thomas Colleton, 2nd Rangers" replied Colleton.

"Rangers" said the Lieutenant Colonel with disgust in his voice.

"You got a problem with us?" asked Colleton.

"Maybe I do, you South Carolina piece of shit" said the Lieutenant Colonel.

"Are you Lieutenant Colonel Pershing?" asked Tom, who was trying his hardest to keep his cool.

"Who's asking?" he replied.

"You know my name" Tom replied, as he was getting ever so closer to losing his cool.

"You're that South Carolina shit head that punched my good buddy Scott McCoy and got him relieved of his command" said Pershing as stood up. "Why the fuck should I help you?" he said as he spat on the ground.

Colleton drew his sidearm, a Baretta 9mm, cocked it and fired a round next to Pershing. Then, he pointed the pistol right at Pershing's head and told him "Because the next one will be in your head". After hearing the shot, Captain Pound came running into the tent. Colleton looked to him and said "Lieutenant Colonel Pershing has been relieved of his command, Captain Pershing, assume command. Now!" he ordered.

"Um, Yes Sir" replied Pound.

"I need a sitrep of your status of readiness to move out" ordered Colleton.

"Unfortunately Sir, it will take us about 4 hours to get everything fueled and ready, Sir" said Pound.

"4 Fucking Hours! Why the fuck is it going to take that long?" questioned Tom.

"Orders Sir. Secretary of Defense Aspin ordered that the tanks and armored vehicles be both unfueled and unarmed will here, so as not to give the appearance that we are ready to invade" said Pound.

"You have got to be fucking kidding me" yelled Colleton.

"Unfortunately Sir, I'm not" said Pound gravely.

"God fucking dammit. Do you at least have the fuel and munitions here to load into them?" asked Tom.

"Yes Sir, we do, but it will take 4 hours to get them ready to go" replied Pound.

"Very well, convey that message to General Garrison, and inform him of the situation of Lieutenant Colonel Pershing" ordered Colleton.

0130 hours, Crash Site #1. Starting at midnight, the General Aidid's Militia made an all-out assault to re-capture the square and the crash site. The Militia was pressing fast, so Tony decided to call in for CAS. "Command, this Alpha-01, requesting CAS over" he yelled into his radio.

_"Alpha-01, this is Mini-Bird 1 & 2, we are on station, ready for gun run, over" _said The Pilot of the lead Little Bird.

"Copy that Mini-Bird, will mark target with IR Beacon" said Tony.

_"Roger" _replied the Pilot.

Tony looked over at Malachi and yelled "Mal, I need an IR Beacon, post ricki-tick". Malachi reached into a pouch that was strapped to his left thigh and pulled out the beacon. Then he tossed it to Tony. Tony turned on the beacon. Aiming for a roof top across the street, he threw it. The beacon was just short as it hit the wall and fell to the street below. "God Dammit" yelled Tony. Tony looked up and down the street and up at the roof top above. He un-slung his M-16 and laid it down against the wall. Malachi watched as this transpired and knew what Tony was planning.

"Don't even think about it Tony!" yelled Malachi

"Too late" yelled Tony as he darted across the war-torn street.

"Oh shit. Covering Fire!" yelled Malachi. The Rangers who could here him, including Sergeant Martin, turned the fire to the roof top above Tony. Tony had made it across the street and he retrieved the beacon from the pile of rubble and tossed it up onto the roof top.Then his radio cracked in his ear

_"Alpha-01, we have IR Beacon spotted, beginning gun run"_ said the little bird pilot. The Little Birds swooped in and hovered right over Tony's position. The Little Birds' M-242 Chain Guns spun up and started spewing out death at 5,000 rounds per minute. The scolding hot brass from the guns fell to the ground below, right on top of Tony.

"AHHHHH!" he screamed as the hot metal burned his flesh. "Son of A Bitch" he screamed. After what seemed like an eternity for Tony, but was in reality only 2 minutes, The Little Birds pulled away. Tony stood there stunned for a few seconds, before he snapped out of his daze and darted back across the street. When he got there, he found Malachi and Sergeant Martin waiting for him.

"Permission to speak freely Sir" said Martin.

"What?" asked Tony, nearly out of breath.

"Your fucking crazy sir" said Martin with a smile on his face.

Tony smiled and said "Damn Right"

0200 hours, Mogadishu Soccer Stadium. The HUMVEES and M113 APCs were loaded up with fuel and ammo. Despite his wishes to use the M1A1s, Major Colleton had received direct orders from Secretary of Defense Les Aspin, not to use them. "Fuckin bastard" said Tom to himself. With his HUMVEE in the lead, Major Colleton pulled up the Main Gate, and had his drive stop. He stepped out of the HUMVEE with his M-16 in his right hand. He raised the rifle above his head and yelled "Our Brothers are still out there gentlemen. Time to do some good!" he yelled as he jumped back into his HUMVEE. "Let's go" he said to his driver.

0330 hours. After spending an hour and a half fighting there way through, Major Colleton's Convoy finally arrived at Captain Morrell's casualty collection point. Major Colleton's HUMVEE pulled up, and the Major Jumped out, where he was greeted by Morrell. " Fashionably late as always, Tom" said Morrell with a smile on his face.

"Well, you know me Irv, better late than never" said Colleton, returning the smile.

"OK, start loading the wounded, let's move" ordered Morrell.

0500, crash site #1. Captain Anthony Dominick DiNozzo had now been engaged inn almost non-stop action for 20 straight hours. Then he heard a rumbling sound. He looked over at Malachi and said "Hey Mal, you hear that?" he asked.

"Yeah, what the hell is that?" he asked. Just then HUMVEEs and M-113s crashed through a pile of rubble and entered the circle. Overhead, The Blackhawks and Little Birds hovered, raining death onto the Militia. Tony could only smile, when he saw Tom Colleton step out of the lead HUMVEE.

"It's about Fucking time, Tom" said Tony smiling.

"Did you and Irv Morrell rehearse that? Cause he told me the same thing" said Colleton smiling. Thanks to the CAS and heavy MG fire from THE Convoy, The Rangers were able to cut the bodies of the dead crew members out of the Blackhawk. After they did so, they set a C4 charge inside and blew it up. By the time everyone was loaded, it was 0530. because of the amount of wounded at both Crash Site #1 and The Casualty collection point, they was no room left in the vehicles for Malachi and Tony, as well as Sergeant Martin. "How about the room" asked Colleton.

"Hell no sir, we'll run" replied Sergeant Martin, which left Colleton momentarily stunned.

Tony and Malachi looked at each other and said "Why Not". The Convoy took off, with Tony, Malachi and Sergeant Martin running behind them. 20 minutes later, the convoy returned to the soccer stadium. Major Colleton was greeted by General Garrison.

"Hell of job Tom" said Garrison.

"Thank you sir" said Tom, saluting. "It would have been a lot easier if that moron Aspin hadn't been such a pussy"

"I've already spoken to the President about that, Aspin is out" said Garrison

"Not a moment too soon" said Colleton

"Captain Pound told me about what you did, in order to save your men. Remember that job I offered you?" asked Garrison.

Despite being exhausted, The 3 men did the 5 miles back to the soccer stadium in just over 30 minutes. And much to Tony's surprise, Martin kept up with them all the way. As they ran through the gates of the stadium, Tony saw General Garrison waiting for them. They all came to attention, saluted as Tony said "Captain DiNozzo, and Sergeants Ben-Gidon and Martin reporting, Sir" he said.

Garrison returned the salute and said" At ease boys. You've all done a fine job. Your Country is in your debt" said Garrison.

"Job ain't finished yet sir. Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant is till out there. Randy and Gary died trying to save him. I ain't going home till we get Mike out" said Tony.

"Me as well" said Malachi.

"Well boys, that's not my call, I'll leave that up to your new CO" said Garrison.

"New CO?" asked Tony.

"McCoy's out, for good" said Garrison, which made both Tony and Malachi smile.

"Then who's our new CO?" asked Tony.

"Me" said a voice coming from behind Garrison. Tom Colleton stepped out from behind Garrison, The Silver Eagles on his collar shined in the morning sun. "And the 3 of us ain't going no where. We got a man to rescue" said COLONEL Colleton. Then Colleton took an envelope out of his pocket. "Your orders, Sergeant Martin. You're headed to back to Fort Bragg" said Colleton, handing him the envelope.

"Sir?" Martin asked.

"You intend to enter selection don't you?" asked Colleton.

"Yes Sir" said Martin as he snapped to attention and saluted. Tony and Malachi could only laugh.

**25 days later**

CWO Mike Durant was being held in a burnt out warehouse, which was located along the water's edge in the port of Mogadishu. For 25 days he had been beaten and tortured, but he still refused to give up. He woke with a start, as he heard a huge explosion go off. He slowly stood up, which wasn't easy, and looked out his window, which had bars on it. _Must be their ammo dump he thought._ Then he heard what he thought were muffled, or maybe even silenced gun shots coming from the hall. He turned around just before the wooden cell door was kicked open, and two figures appeared. Both were dressed in black, with night vision goggles on. In their hands they each held a suppressed Mac-10 submachine gun.

"Mike?" one of them asked. Durant recognized the voice instantly

"DiNozzo?" he asked.

"Hang on Mike, we're taking you home. Pick him up Mal" ordered Tony. Malachi handed his Mac-10 to Tony. Malachi walked over and pulled Mike onto his back. Then just as quickly as they came, they were gone.

**24 hours later**

Probationary Agent Leroy Jeathro Gibbs of NCIS was sitting at bar nursing a beer at McMurphy's Tavern in Washington D.C, when something on the T.V caught his eye.

_ "This is Stuart Dunston for ZNN reporting to you live from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. I hope you can hear me over cheers and screams of joy as just moments ago, Chief Warrant Officer Michael Durant of The 160__th__ SOAR 'Nightstalkers' returned home following his being held prisoner for 25 days in Somalia"_

Kate DiNozzo was listening to the TV as she folded laundry in the living room of her home at Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

_"While The White House will not release the names of the rescuers, as their names are classified, President Clinton did confirm that the men responsible are members of The US Army's Elite and highly secret, Delta Force"_

Both Kate and Gibbs could only smile.

**Chapters 6-9 are dedicated to the Men of The Rangers, The Nightstalkers and Delta Force who fought and died during The Battle of Mogadishu. **

"**For he who sheds his blood with me today shall be my brother"- William Shakespeare**

**By the time the battle of Mogadishu ended on October 4****th****, 3 Delta Force Operators and 15 Rangers had been killed in action. These 18 brave men, made the ultimate sacrifice for the freedom of people they had never even met. These Men are heroes, and whose story shall live forever across time.**

** In November, 1993, Secretary of Defense Les Aspin was forced to resign after both Democrats and Republicans alike, as well as the General Public, blamed him (and in my opinion rightfully so) for failing to adequately to support TF Ranger during Operation Gothic Serpent. **


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N- from this point on, some chapters might be named, some might not. **

**Chapter 10:**

**Always Kiss Them Goodbye**

March, 1994, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Colonel Colleton has now been The Unit's CO for 6 Months. Newly promoted Staff Sergeant Chester Martin, who passed selection in December, had received his (unofficial) Unit Tattoo and 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Silencer pistol. Unfortunately, both 1st Sergeant Kearns and Sergeant 1st Class Clarkin had left the Unit. John Hirsch was promoted to Master Sergeant and made Alpha Team's Senior NCO.

It was 1000 hours when the unit was called into the T.O.C. "Listen up" said Colonel Colleton as he walked in. "At 0530 this morning, a group of hostiles, with unknown affiliations broke into a chemical weapons depot in South Carolina. From there they headed north, and The N.C Staties have tracked them to an airfield near here. "Tony, I want you to take Mal and Martin with you to investigate. Hirsch will stay here to run ops. Understood?" he asked.

"What was stolen sir?" asked Tony.

"2 Canister of Sentox VX-1 Nerve Gas" said Colleton.

"Yes Sir" replied Tony.

As Tony and Malachi walked out of the T.O.C Tony said, you ever get a really bad a feeling before a mission?" asked Malachi.

"Before every single one" said Tony with a straight face.

An hour later, Tony, Malachi and Chester pulled up to the airstrip at Manfredburgville. There they found two state police officers waiting for them. "Officers" said Tony, who was wearing his trademark Aviator Sunglasses. "What's the situation?" he asked.

"4 men inside the hangar" replied one of the officers. As he said Tat, the hangar doors started to slide open. Tony, Mal and Chester all drew there sidearms. A single engine JC-3 rolled out of the hangar towards the runway. Malachi fired 2 shots at the plane before Tony stopped him.

"What the hell?" asked Malachi.

"Under the wings" said Tony. Malachi looked over an saw a canister attached to the bottom of each wing. "It's the nerve gas, a bullet pierces that we're all dead" The plane taxied down the runway and took off. "Fuck me" said Tony as he took off running to the nearest plane. He opened the door of a Cessna 317 and fired up the engine. He taxied the plane over to the runway and took off. He was about 10 minutes behind the

JC-3. He put on his headset and turned the dial to the Unit's frequency. "Marshlands, this is Movie Buff over" said Tony. Tony had given Tom Colleton that nickname after the South Carolina Cotton plantation Tom grew up on.

_"Movie Buff, this is Marshlands over"_ replied Colleton.

"Marshlands, I'm flying a Cessna 317 in pursuit of single engine JC-3. JC-3 has been retrofitted with VX Canisters. Current vectors 87 degrees North by Northeast, over" said Tony. Then Tony noticed something. "Marshlands, Pilot is dead, I repeat pilot is dead, it must be running on some kind of auto pilot"

"Copy that Movie Buff, we'll try and figure out where he's headed." Said Colleton. As he said that, Hirsch walked into the T.O.C carrying a map of North Carolina. "Target's heading 87 degrees north by northeast. Any probable targets?" asked Colleton.

"Hirsch got out a ruler and did some calculations before he said "shit".

"What?" asked Colleton.

"Those current vectors will put him right over us in about 45 minutes. His target is Fort Bragg" said Hirsch gravely.

At the airfield, the 3 remaining hostiles had barricaded themselves inside the hangar. Chester and Malachi had retrieved M-16s from their HUMVEE and opened fire on them. "Are things always this interesting?" asked Chester, smiling.

"Just shut and shoot kid" ordered Malachi. Malachi and Chester were taking cover behind the front passenger side of their HUMVEE. Malachi popped up and fired a quick burst from his M-16. 3 of the bullets hit one of the hostiles in the chest and he fell to the ground. A second hostile appeared on the roof of the hangar holding an RPK LMG.

"Look out!" yelled Chester as he knocked Malachi to the ground. The hostile raked the HUMVEE with fire as he expended the entire 40 round magazine. When the hostile went to reload, Martin popped up and fired 4 rounds from his M9. 2 of the rounds hit home and the hostile dropped his weapon and fell to the earth below. Malachi nodded his thanks as he stood up.

"Come on out its over" yelled Malachi, trying to bring in the last guy alive. The Hangar doors slid open once again, a man walked forward. "Oh Shit, get down" he yelled as both he and Chester dove for the deck.

"ALLAH AL AKBAR" yelled the final hostile as he clicked the detonator on for his suicide vest. The man and the hangar exploded.

Malachi looked up and saw that the flames had engulfed a nearby fuel storage tank. "Move, more, move!" he screamed as he and Chester ran for their lives. Shrapnel from the explosion had caused the tank to leak. Once the flames hit the leaking gas, the tank exploded, sending flaming metal and shrapnel in every direction. A fireball rose above the air strip. The cop car that the state troopers had arrived in had also exploded; sinders and ashes began falling everywhere. Malachi and Chester were covered from head to toe in soot, as ashes fell all around them. Thankfully, the explosion had only caused their HUMVEE to flip over. "Marshlands, this is Blue Star, over" said Malachi into his radio.

_"Blue Star, this is Marshlands, over"_ replied Colonel Colleton.

"Marshlands, 2 hostiles down via gunfire. 3 hostile explode suicide vest, took the hangar, fuel storage tank and cop car with him. Need 1st responders to help deal with fire, over" said Malachi.

"_Copy that Blue Star. Status of State Troopers?"_ asked Colleton.

"Killed during shootout over" replied Malachi.

_ "Roger that. 1__st__ responders en route, sit tight, over"_ replied the Colonel.

"Copy that Marshlands" replied Malachi. "Marshlands, status of Movie Buff?" he asked.

_"Movie Buff still in hot pursuit of hostile craft over"_

"_Movie Buff, this is Backdraft, you are approaching Waterloo Yellow, I repeat, you are approaching Waterloo Yellow"_ said John Hirsch over the radio. Waterloo Yellow signified that the hostile airplane was approaching the 5 mile limit around Fort Bragg.

"Then I'm out of options, there's only one thing left I can do" said Tony as he pulled back on the stick. He looked down at his forearms, where he could still see the burn marks that he received when the M-242 shell casing fell on him in Somalia. He pulled the plane up to Angels 10, or 10,000 feet AGL, a good 3,000 feet above the enemy craft. Then, he pulled the stick forward and aimed the nose of his plane straight at the

JC-3. He could hear Backdraft yelling at him through the radio.

"_Don't do it Top. Top! Top! DiNozzo! God Dammit DiNozzo don't do it. Tony!"_ he yelled. Tony ignored him. Just as he was about to hit the JC-3, it banked hard to the left.

"Whoa!" yelled Tony as he fought to regain controlled flight. "Backdraft, hostile craft has changed course, repeat hostile craft has changed course. New heading, 297 degrees north by northwest, over" Tony said.

_"Copy that Movie Buff, we're checking that heading now." _Replied Master Sergeant Hirsch. Tony few on for about 5 more minutes in absolute silence. "_Movie Buff, this is Backdraft over"_

"Backdraft this is Movie Buff over" replied Tony.

_ "Movie Buff, according to the vectors you gave us, target is headed for downtown Charlotte"_ said John, gravely.

"Holy shit" said Tony. "That's gotta be at least a million people right?" asked Tony.

_"At least" _replied John

"How long have I got till we reach Waterloo Yellow again?" asked Tony.

_"Based on your current airspeed and the prevailing winds, less than 10 minutes"_ said John.

"Anyway to scramble some fighters before then?" asked Tony, hoping for a miracle.

_"No, Air support is at least 25 minutes out"_ said John, as he knew what Tony was planning to do.

"Than I guess I have no choice now" said Tony gravely as he began to pull back on the stick once again. "Backdraft, is there anyway you can patch me through to Kate?" asked Tony as he was praying for a chance just to say goodbye.

_"Hang on, I'll make the cal" _said John. Tony waited for bout a minute, in silence. _"There's no answer Tony_" said John.

_"Tony, its Malachi, I've been listening this whole time. Is there any message you want me to pass on to Kate and Three?"_ he asked.

"Just make something up, you know what to say" said Tony. He was just about to begin his decent when he thought of something. "Hey John, what happens when a plane goes into a tail spin?" Tony asked.

_"Um, it looses all lift, and departs from controlled flight" _replied John.

"And it takes a pilot to counter that, right?" asked Tony

_ "Yeah, it takes a pilot" _

"It takes a pilot, it takes me. An auto pilot can't put out of a tail spin" said Tony.

_Think you can pull it off?" _asked John.

"Only one way to find out" said Tony as he put his plane into a slight dive and pulled his plane level with the JC-3. "Here goes nothing" he said.

"_Good luck Tony"_ said John.

Meanwhile, Tony fought for control. When he spun out the JC-3, the enemy plane went into a perfect nose dive and plummeted straight to earth. Tony yanked back on the stick and banked hard right.

For about a minute, Colonel Colleton, Malachi, John and Chester listened in silence. Then they heard it over their respective radios. "_In the immortal words of John McClane 'Yippy ky ah Motherfuckers!'" yelled Tony_.

The T.O.C erupted into a pandemonium of cheers. "Yeah!" screamed Tom Colleton.

John Hirsch could only laugh as he said "There will be now living with him now"

Meanwhile at the Airfield, Malachi , who was now covered in soot and ashes yelled "Yes, Yes, Yes!". 45 minutes later, Tony's Cessna 317 touched down on the runway. Tony jumped out and when he saw that both Martin and Malachi were covered from head to toe in soot and ashes, as well as the destruction of the field, he burst out laughing.

"Jesus Christ Mal, I told you to pop Martin's cherry, not blow up the fucking Airfield" said Tony as both Malachi and Martin joined him in the laugh.

It was 1935 hours when Tony got home that night. As he walked in the door, we shut the door behind him, dropped his bag and made his way back to the kitchen.

When Kate saw him burst into the kitchen, she was making dinner. "Oh, Tony your home, I was just" was all she got out before he cut her off with a soft, yet passionate kiss. His arms locked around her waist, as she threw her arms around his neck. After about a minute he broke the kiss.

"I Love you, Katie" he said with a tear in his eye

"I love you too, Tony" she said, as they resume their make out session.

**A/N- A quick little chapter to bridge the gap. Also, for the record, to my knowledge, there is no such thing as a Cessna 317.**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW**

**. **


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N- And Now- The Continuation of "28 Seconds"**

**CHAPTER 11**

**FOUR BROTHERS**

"Move, move, move" yelled Captain Anthony DiNozzo as he fired a burst from his new M-4 Assault Rifle, which his team had been outfitted with a week prior. "Come on, move!" he yelled as he fired another burst. The Unit was pinned down behind two burnt out cars on a street in Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The Unit had been sent in during the pre-dawn hours to rescue a Red Cross worker named, Claude Jones, who had information on the whereabouts of Abu "The Butcher" a Hamas terrorist who had been hiding out in Haiti. Except for their Kevlar vests, Col. Colleton had ordered DiNozzo's team to dress in civvies, just like they did for The JFK Hostage Crisis 2 years prior. And just like that Op, they were ordered to leave their dog tags at home.

The Local Militia had the Unit pinned from 2 sides. Behind them was an abandoned building, Tony knew that was there only point of egress. "Ironman, kick the door in" said Tony, looking at Chester. Chester nodded and used the butt of his rifle the bash the door in.

"Ah" Chester screamed. Tony turned and saw Chester fall backwards. Tony quickly spun around and put his M4 to his shoulder. He fired 2 quick bursts, killing the man that shot Chester.

"You ok kid?" Tony asked Chester.

"I'm...Hit…Top" he said, as blood pooled in his mouth.

"Chester!" Tony yelled. "Backdraft, get him inside" ordered Tony. Hirsch quickly slung his rifle over his shoulder, and went to pickup Chester.

"Hang on kid, your gonna be ok" said John as he lifted him into the building. As John dragged Martin into the building, Tony and Malachi still remained outside. They were back-to-back as they fired at the 2 groups of militia approaching their position.

"Get inside Mal, I'll cover you" said Tony.

"I ain't going nowhere without you my brother" said Malachi defiantly. Then they both turned their heads and looked at each other. They both nodded. They each reached for a M-33 baseball grenade for their respective web gear. They pulled the pins and chucked them.

"Go" yelled Tony as they both dove for the door. The grenades went off, taking about a dozen or so militia with them. "That was fun" said Tony, sarcastically, as they both got up off the floor. They picked up their rifles and walked down the hallway and up a flight of stairs where they found the room where John, with the help of Mr. Jones, was treating Chester's wounds. "What the damage?" Tony asked.

"Bullet went through his ribcage and pierced the lung. I've manage to re-inflate the lung, but he's got 3 broken ribs. The 2nd bullet hit his clavicle, it's broken. Unfortunately he's still losing blood from the 1st gun shot wound, and we need to stop it before he bleeds out" said John gravely. Tony quickly looked around the room, and saw that there was a fire burning in the fire place.

"Can you cauterize it?" asked Tony as he pulled out his Bowie fighting knife.

"Yes, I think I can" said John, taking the knife from Tony. "Do you concur, Mr. Jones?" John asked.

"Yes, it can be done" said Jones, in a heavy Creole accent.

"Good, then do it" ordered Tony. John squatted down over in front of the fire and put the blade over the fire to heat it up. Then Tony looked over at Malachi. "Mal, would him down". Malachi walked over to the table that they had Chester lying on and he put his hands on Chester's shoulders.

"It will be ok Chester, it will be ok" said Malachi as he tried to calm Chester down. Malachi began to pray softly in Hebrew.

Tony looked over at Chester, and then at Malachi. _There's no way I'm gonna let this kid die on me. No way in hell_ Tony thought to himself. A minute later, John stood up from in front of the fire, holding in his hand, Tony's Bowie fighting knife. The blade was a scouldering red, indicating how hot it was. Tony picked up a piece of wood of the floor and held it over Chester's mouth. "Here kid, bit down on this" he said. Chester opened his mouth and Tony slipped it in. Chester bit down hard.

"Hang on Kid" said John as he applied the hot Bowie knife to Chester's side. Chester screamed and tried to trash as the hot knife burned his skin. Tony, Mr. Jones and Malachi had to give it there all to hold Chester down against the table. After a minute of two, John had managed to cauterize both the entry and exit wounds.

They all took at step back from the table, to give Chester a chance to relax. "Why are you people here?" asked Mr. Jones. "Why did you come to rescue me?" he asked.

"Who we are in not important. And we have intel that you know where we can find Abu 'The Butcher'" said Tony.

"He is dead. 'The Butcher is dead'" said Jones.

"Who killed him?" asked Tony, as far as he knew, "The Bucher" was still alive and kicking.

"Men, a group of 4 men, I don't know who they are. But after the shot 'The Butcher', they tried to kill me, because I could identify them. But I escape before they shoot me" he said.

"Can you describe these men?" asked John.

"Yes" said Jones as he was looking out the window. "Them" he said pointing out the window. Tony quickly rushed over to the window. On the street below, 4 men, all dressed in black shirts, tan cargo pants and black combat boots. 2 of them carried Galil rifles and the other 2 carried Uzi submachine guns. All 4 of them had Jericho 941 pistols in their holsters.

"Oh Good" said Tony sarcastically, "The Israelis are here" he said with an obviously fake smile. Then he looked over at Malachi and said "Friends of yours Mal?"

Malachi walked over to the window. As he did, he said "Just because they are Israelis, dos not mean" he said before he abruptly stopped talking. He left out a deep sigh before he said "Yes, they are Kidon". Malachi looked down, ashamed that his countrymen were here.

"Do you recognize any of them?" asked Tony. Malachi remained silent for a few seconds.

"Yes" he said softly. "The one if front, their team leader, the one with the beard"

"Who is he?" asked Tony. Again Malachi remained silent.

"Officer Michael Rivkin" said Malachi, with disgust on his face. Tony's face lost all emotion as he recalled 3 years earlier when Malachi first told him of Officer Rivkin.

_ "Yes that's it. Remember how I told you that Ziva's father, Eli, is a Big Player at Mossad?" asked Malachi. After Tony nodded yes, he continued. "Eli was trying to show that not only was he tough, but so is his daughter" after a long pause he said "When Ziva was 15, Eli hired a man, another Kidon assassin named Michael Rivkin, to…." He paused, swallowed and continued "To rape Ziva in the back of a weapons carrier" said Malachi. Tony's jaw dropped._

"As in Offer Michael Rivkin, the man who raped that girl, Ziva David when she was 15?" asked Tony, already knowing the answer.

"Yes" said Malachi. Tony knew full well that Malachi was no friend of Officer Rivkin.

"Ok, well we certainly can't stay here" said Tony as he grabbed his sate phone from its pouch, which was strapped to his left thigh. "Marshlands, this is Movie Buff over" he said.

_"Movie Buff, this is Marshlands, over. Give me a sitrep"_ said Col. Colleton.

"Marshlands, precious cargo secure. Have one Whiskey Indigo Alpha, repeat have one Whiskey Indigo Alpha, over" said Tony

"_Who?" _asked Tom.

"Ironman" said Tony. "Also, codename 'Butcher' is no more. Repeat, codename 'Butcher is no more. Not by our hands, repeat not by our hands" said Tony.

_"Who done the deed?" _asked Colleton.

"Former colleagues of Blue Star., over" said Tony, hoping Colleton would understand.

_"Understood Movie Buff, will pass the word on"_ said Colleton.

"Copy that Marshlands. Status of exfill?" asked Tony.

_"We have you on satellite Movie Buff. Exfill team is 3 klicks north of your location"_

"Copy that Marshlands, Movie Buff out" said Tony as he put the sate phone back into its pouch. He looked over at his team. "We need to move, exfill is 3 klicks north. Make a stretcher for Ironman. Move" ordered Tony.

After Backdraft had cauterized his wounds, Chester had passed out. In his subconscious, he was dreaming about his 1st day in the Unit.

_He was in his fatigues, with his duffle over his shoulder as Colonel Colleton lead him into Alpha Team's locker room. As they entered the locker room, Chester saw three men sitting at a table, drinking beers. 2 of them he recognized from Somalia. The 1__st__ was Captain Anthony DiNozzo, Alpha Team Leader, and the 2__nd__ was Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon, who Chester knew was actually an Israeli Commando/Mossad operative who had been assigned to The Unit. The 3__rd__ man, he did not recognize. "Gentlemen" said Colleton. "I'd like to introduce you to your new teammate, newly promoted Staff Sergeant Chester Martin" said Colleton. Then Colleton turned his attention to Chester and said "Martin, I believe you know both Captain DiNozzo and Sergeant Ben-Gidon?" asked Colleton._

_ "Yes Sir, we met in Somalia" said Martin. _

_ "Good" said Colleton as turned back to DiNozzo. "Tony I leave him in your hands" said Colleton as he left. The three men stood up and each extended there hands._

_ Tony spoke 1__st__. "Captain DiNozzo, Tony, callsign 'Movie Buff'" he said as Chester shook his hand. _

_ Malachi was next. "Sergeant Ben-Gidon, Malachi, callsign 'Blue Star'" said Malachi as he shook Chester's hand. Then Chester look over the 3__rd__ man, the one he did not recognize._

_ "Master Sergeant Hirsch, John, Alpha Team Senior NCO, callsign 'Backdraft'" said John as he shook Chester's hand. _

_ "Staff Sergeant Martin, Chester, callsign, well I done have one yet" said Chester. "How did all of you get yours?" he asked._

_ "I was born in a firehouse in Boston" said Hirsch._

_ "I'm from Israel, the Star of David is the color blue on our flag" said Malachi. _

_ "And him" said Hirsch as he threw his thumb over his shoulder, pointing it at Tony, "Cannot go 5 minutes without quoting a fucking movie" said Hirsch as they all laughed._

_ "How old are you kid? Where are you from?" asked Hirsch. _

_ "I'm 22, I was born and raised in Toledo, Ohio" he said. Both Malachi and Hirsch looked over at Tony. "Why are they looking at you Sir?" Chester asked Tony._

_ "1__st__ off kid, it's either Tony, or Top, the unofficial nickname for a Unit Team Leader" said Tony. "And they're looking at me because I went to OSU" explained Tony._

_ "Wait, you're THE Tony DiNozzo? 2 Sport All-American? The Quarterback who had a 45-yard game-winning Touchdown run in overtime to beat Michigan in the 1988 Sugar Bowl? The same Tony DiNozzo who as a starting point guard hit a buzzer beater, game-winning 3-pointer against Wisconsin to win the 89' Big-10 tournament, and led the Buckeyes to the Final-Four the same year?" asked Chester, who had to do his best from dropping to his knees and kissing the shoes of his childhood hero. _

_ "Yeah, that's me" said Tony. Chester's face light up like a Christmas tree. "Calm down kid, that was 5 years ago. _

_ Chester quickly regained his composer and said "Yes Sir, um I mean Top". _

_ "How come you never told us about all that stuff Top?" asked Hirsch. _

_ "You never asked" replied Tony as he walked over to an empty locker. "This is yours now kid" he said looking at Chester. "Stowe your gear and come with me" said Tony. Chester took les than 2 minutes to put what he needed to into his locker. Then he joined Tony at a large tool chest. Tony opened each of the chest's 4 draws. Each draw contained 4 handguns, each of a different type. "We all carry your standard G.I M9, but a little back up doesn't hurt. Chester reached in and grabbed a P99. Tony shook his head and said "We ain't in this business to just wound people son". Chester put down the P99 and picked up a 45. ACP. "Much better, Ironman" said Tony smiling._

Alpha Team had made their way north and Tony was certain that Rivkin's Kidon Team was hot on their trail. When they got to the extraction point, they found 2 ½ ton trucks and a team of Rangers waiting for them. "DiNozzo!" yelled their leader. Tony looked and saw that it was Captain Irving Morrell. Tony nodded.

"Malachi, load Mr. Jones and Ironman into the truck, I'll cover you" ordered Tony. Before Malachi could protest, Tony said "Rivkin's Team is hot on our trail, if he sees you, you are screwed" said Tony. Malachi didn't argue. After everyone was loaded into the trucks, they began to drive away. "Nice job boys" said Tony. As he did, Hirsch's Chest exploded. His blood flew everywhere, splattering over both Malachi and Tony. "JOHNNY!" Tony screamed. Hirsch's body went limp as it collapsed to the floor of the truck bed. Tony looked back to where the shot had come from. He saw Officer Rivkin, with a smirk on his face, lowering a sniper rifle. Tony was about to jump out of the Truck when Malachi grabbed him.

"Don't do it Tony. This team needs you" said Malachi. Tony face was blank and emotionless as he reached

"Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, precious cargo is secure, Alpha Team exfilling now. Have on addition to previous report. One Kilo Indigo Alpha, repeat one Kilo Indigo Alpha. I say again Backdraft Down" said Tony.

**A/N- yes so Rivkin is an asshole who loves to kill people, regardless of who they are. **

**The Next chapter will deal with Hirsch's Funeral, as it tells the story of how the Men of the Delta Force deal with the death of one of there own. And we take a look inside a Delta Force Funeral. **


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

**Play 16**

The flight from Haiti back to Fort Bragg was a silent one. John Hirsch's body had been packed into a body bag. When the plane stopped in Pensacola, The Medical examiner had removed the bullet, and placed it in the small plastic bag before handing the back to Tony. On the paper work, Hirsch's body bag was packed in ice, before it was placed into a metal transport coffin. Now, that metal coffin rested on the floor of the

C-130's cargo bay.

Chester was still passed out and sleeping.

Tony just sate their silently. He felt guilty. Alpha Team, _His_ Alpha Team, was his responsibility. He was responsible for bringing his team home safe. And now he had failed. Chester was wounded. His 1st day on the job Chester told Tony that he had idolized Tony when Tony played Football and Basketball at Ohio State University. And now Chester's hero had let him down. Tony looked over at John's metal coffin. And now John was dead. John Hirsch had been in the Unit since the late 80's. He had been with Tony since he was given command of Alpha Team in September of 1990. Back then, John had been the Unit's engineer and explosives man. When Billy Kearns and Terry Clarkin had left the Unit back in January, John had opted to stay. He was promoted to Master Sergeant and made Alpha Team's Senior NCO. And now, just 8 months later he was dead. Some of John's words still rang through Tony's head

_"There will be no living with him now"_. John had said that after Tony had knocked a plane carrying two canisters of Sentox-VX-1 nerve gas out of the sky without killing himself in the process. Hirsch had been loyal to Tony to a fault.

However, it was Malachi who was feeling the guiltiest of all. The man, who shot John, was Michael Rivkin. Rivkin was an Israeli, just like him. He was Kidon, just like him. Malachi felt responsible that a man from his Israel killed one of his friends. Malachi had never liked Michael. He always thought that he was cocky and a pig. That dislike turned to disgust when Malachi learned of what Michael had done to Ziva David.

Col. Colleton was standing in the T.O.C when his aid. Warrant  
Officer Bridget Sullivan tapped him one the shoulder. When he turned she said "Colonel, there's a Mr. Barnes from the White house to see you"

"Thank you" he said as he walked out of the T.O.C to speak to him. Colleton walked up to him and got right in his face and said "I just lost a man on your mission"

"Colonel we have a problem and it's bigger than one man" replied Barnes.

"Is that so?" asked Colleton, who was not happy.

"This mission was covert. Black in, black out. Your team screwed up" said Barnes.

"That was the old plan, welcome to the new one" countered Tom.

"The Associated Press is going with the story that American Forces rescued a hostage in Haiti. The White House denies that American Forces were involved because we weren't involved. Do you read me?" asked Barnes, with a smug look on his face. "Your Team needs to be out of Haiti now"

"They're on their way home now" said Colleton.

Kate DiNozzo was lying on her living room couch, reading a book when she heard a knock on the door. She marked her place in the book and got up to answer it. When she opened the door, she found Colonel Thomas Colleton, her husband's CO standing there. "Mrs. DiNozzo" he said.

"Colonel" she replied.

"Kate, I have some tragic news, I need you to help me prep for a Unit Funeral" he said. After seeing the look on her face, he put up his hand an said. "Don't worry, it's not Tony". She let out a heavy sigh of relief.

"Who?" she asked.

"Hirsch" said Tom grimly.

Both Tony's and Malachi's trains of thought were interrupted as the C-130 touched down on the runway at Fort Bragg. Tony stood up, grasping an American flag in his hand. With Malachi's help, He draped it over John's Coffin. When the rear gate lowered. Tony and Malachi, along with Captain Irving Morrell and Corporal Reggie Bartlett, of The Rangers, they lifted up John's Coffin. The walked out of the plane as Tony heard Col. Colleton yelled "Attention. Present…Arms!" the 12 Ranger Honor Guard snapped to attention. The 4 men walked the coffin to a waiting hearse and placed him inside. "Quarter...Arms" ordered Colleton Then Tony turned to Col. Colleton and saluted. "You brought him home. That's a sacred duty. Well done" said Colleton. Tony reached into his breast pocket; and took out the small bag with the bullet that killed Hirsch inside it.

"He was like a brother to me Colonel" said Tony. Malachi walked up and saluted as well.

"Colonel" he said. "The man who shot John" he paused "his name is Officer Michael Rivkin; he's a Kidon team leader. He is Israeli. Request permission to return to Israel?" asked Malachi. Both Colleton and Tony knew instantly what Malachi was planning.

"Denied" said Colleton.

"Go get some rest Mal" said Tony. Malachi nodded and walked away.

"I give you my word Colonel, one day; Michael Rivkin will pay for this. One day, Michael Rivkin will die by my hand" said Tony. He saluted once again and walked away to his awaiting life. He walked up to Kate and gave her a tight hug. She had tears in her eyes.

Chester was lying in his room at Fort Bragg's base hospital. He looked up when there was a knock on the door. The man standing there was in a really nice black suit. He held up his id so Chester could see it. "White House?" Chester asked.

"That's right Sergeant. N.S.C. it was my mission- the oversight. So I feel connected to you and your colleague" he paused to look at his note pad "Sergeant Hirsch" he said. He pointed to the glass pitcher of water that was on the table next to Chester's bedside. "You want water? Ice cubes? Anything?" he asked. Chester remained silent. "So you caught a bullet, huh?" he asked.

"Yes Sir" Chester replied. Barnes pulled up a chair and sat down next to Chester.

"I just wanted to drop by in person to offer our thanks" he said. "But, I'm not here. Just as you weren't there. I need to make sure we're all on the same page" Barnes said.

"What page is that again?" Chester asked.

"You where there, and you took the hit. Your friend took the hit. We're a team from the top down. I want to make sure we've got it straight" said Barnes.

"Got it straight?" said Chester.

"That none of it occurred" said Barnes. Chester used his hand to motion for Barnes to come closer. Barnes stood up and leaned towards Chester.

"Who mean my friend, John Hirsch? Who was a good soldier? None of _that_ occurred?" said Chester.

Barnes looked up at him and said "Easy enough right?" Chester reached over and grabbed the glass water pitcher with his left arm. With all the strength he had he slammed it against Barnes' head. The glass shattered and went everywhere as it made contact with the side of Barnes' head.

"I plan to press disciplinary actions" said Barnes as Col. Colleton closed the door to his office. Barnes' right ear had was bandaged up from where Chester had hit him.

"And you were over there?" asked Colleton.

"Checking his cover story" said Barnes.

"Why?" asked Colleton

"To make sure" said Barnes before he was cutoff by Colleton.

"To make sure what? That he held his water?" asked Colleton.

"That's right" said Barnes.

"What do you got in your pockets? Empty em out" ordered Tom.

"Are you kidding?" asked Barnes

"NO! Empty em" ordered Tom, again, this time raising his voice. Barnes did so, in his pockets he had his wallet, his car keys, a couple of coins and a few dollars bills. "Where's your body bag?" asked Colleton.

"I don't have a body bag" said Barnes.

"Exactly" countered Tom. "But each Soldier in the Unit carries their own body bag. And until you've carried one, you don't deserve to talk to my men about their code. They signed on to no exist. For them, there is no Legacy. These men die for each other. Not for you or your boss. These Men are Warriors. You think you need to remind them about their codes of silence? They answer to a Higher Code, friend" barked Colleton.

"Let's keep this meeting on point" said Barnes. "Your man attacked me".

"A seriously wounded man, on his back, attacked you?" asked Colleton.

"Yes" replied Barnes. Colleton walked out from behind his desk and got right in Barnes' face.

"Well, he may have dinged your ear, but I'll break your neck. Now get the hell off my Base!" Tom ordered. Barnes stormed out of Colleton's office, slamming the door behind him. Colleton walked over to his bookshelf. He picked up a small brown box and opened it. He reached into his pocket and pulled out John's Bullet he placed it inside, next to the 2 that were already in there. The ones that killed Gary Gordon and Randy Shughart. Tom looked up when he heard a knock on his office door. "Come in" he said. His aide, Warrant Officer Sullivan walked in. "Oh yes, I need you to get this to John Hirsch's hometown newspaper" said Colleton.

"Yes Sir" said Bridget as she pulled out her note pad.

"Master Sergeant John Hirsch was transporting documents across an Airfield in Turkey, when an unexploded ordinance blew up, rolling his jeep. He died instantly. Fort Bragg Command expresses their condolences" he said.

"His whole life he's been defending his country and at the end that's what he's gonna get?" asked Bridget.

"That's Play 16" said Colonel Colleton.

The Unit spent the next day prepping for Hirsch's Memorial service. As team leader, it was Tony and Kate's responsibility to prepare John's Class A uniform. As the youngest member, Chester's job was to spit shine and polish John's Combat boots. Malachi's job was to clean John's Rifle, his bayonet and retrieve John's dog tags from his locker.

One the left shoulder of John's uniform, there were 2 distinct patches. The one on top was blue with yellow lettering, which read "Special Forces". Below it was a black one, with Gold lettering and border which read "Ranger". On the left breast pocket, 3 badges were pinned there. The 1st was The US Army's Marksmanship Award. The 2nd was John's Air Assault Wings. Finally, the 3rd were John's Paratrooper Jump wings, with 2 combat stars, that he had received in Panama and Iraq. Tony spent the day, shinning up all the badges and ribbons for John's uniform, while Kate put them on. On the right breast pocket, there was a black name plate with white lettering that read "Hirsch". Above the nameplate was a purple bar with a gold border. This was John's Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation, which The Delta Force had received in Somalia.

"Do Unit citations go flush or above?" asked Kate

"Flush with the pocket seem" replied Tony. Both of them had been silent up to this point.

"And are you going to put his Regimental Insignia on his uniform?" asked Kate

"Yes" replied Tony.

"And where's his home regiment?" Kate asked.

"7th Infantry" replied Tony as Kate pinned The 7th Infantry's Insignia just above John's Presidential Distinguished Unit Citation.

"In omnia paratus" Kate read in Latin. "In all things prepared" Kate translated, but Tony already knew what it meant. Kate walked back over to the box with John's Medals and Ribbons. "No Medals, right?" she asked as she picked up John's ribbons.

"Ribbons Yes, Medal, no" replied Tony. Kate looked over John's ribbons.

"He has a Silver and Bronze Star, and a Purple Heart" she said sadly. John was an excellent soldier. "And now he'll be getting another Purple Heart she said as she attached John's Ribbons to his uniform. Just above the left breast pocket.

"His parents will" said Tony as he stood up from the table.

The Next day, All Units members that were not away on missions, assembled at the Fort Bragg Chapel, with their families for John Hirsch's Unit Memorial Service. At the front altar, there was a small platform. On that platform sat Hirsch's combat boots. In between them, John's bayonet, which was attached to his Rifle, had been pierced into the wood. John's dog tags hung from the butt of the rifle, with John's helmet on top. As the Chaplin delivered the Eulogy, Colonel Colleton stood behind the small platform at attention. The 3 remaining members of Alpha Team sat by themselves in the front pew. Chester's arm remained in a sling. When the Chaplin finished his Eulogy, he stepped away from the podium and Colonel Colleton walked up to it.

"DiNozzo?" yelled Colleton.

"Here Sir" replied Tony as he shot up to attention.

"Ben-Gidon?"

"Here Sir" replied Malachi as he did the same as Tony.

"Martin?"

"Here Sir" replied Chester as he followed suit.

"Hirsch?" yelled Colleton. Silence engulfed the chapel. "Sergeant Hirsch". The silence returned. "Master Sergeant John Hirsch" said Colonel Colleton. The 3 men of Alpha Team sat down. "Born 7 November, 1965" continued Colleton. "Eldest son of Jay and Connie Hirsch" Colleton paused again.

"Killed…In Action" finished Colleton.


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N- ok this episode takes place during the JAG Episode: War Cries (Season 1, episode 7)**

**Previously, on "28 Seconds":**

_"Master Sergeant John Hirsch. Born 7 November 1965. Eldest Son of Jay and Connie Hirsch. Killed…In Action"_

**And now the next exciting installment of "28 Seconds" **

**13 Months later.**

0630 hours, October 11th, 1995, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It had been 13 months since John Hirsch had been killed. _Murdered is more like it_ though Tony. In that time period, Alpha Team had remained a 3-man team, with the occasional assistance from Colonel Colleton. During those 13 Months Staff Sergeant Chester Martin, aka "Ironman" had gone from a greenshirt newbie to a hardened veteran. Mossad Assassin and Kidon Team Leader Michael Rivkin still remained of The Unit's unofficial most wanted list. Tony still had every intention of keeping his word.

"_I give you my word Colonel, one day; Michael Rivkin will pay for this. One day, Michael Rivkin will die by my hand"_

Still even if it didn't outweigh the bad, some good had come out of it. Hirsch had posthumously been given the Silver Star for his actions in saving Chester's life. Tony had also been awarded The Bronze star, which made a total of 5 decorations for Valor he had received to date (The Medal of Honor in the Gulf War, the Distinguished Service Cross for his handling of The JFK Hostage Crisis, The Silver Star in Somalia, another Silver Star for when he knocked the plane carrying nerve gas out of the sky and finally the Bronze star for his actions in Haiti). His son Three was now 12 years old, and the little genius was so smart he was able to skip 2 grades and had started his freshman year of High School a month prior. And despite his age, he was able to make the Varsity Football Team at Fort Bragg High School. He was also the starting Running Back, Strong Safety and Kick Returner.

No one stood up when Colonel Colleton walked into the room. The Unit may have the most highly skilled, highly trained soldiers on the face of the earth, but when it came to courtesy to superiors, that asshole Barnes destroyed what little The Unit had had left.

"All right boys, listen up" said Colleton. "At 1030 hours yesterday morning, an assassination attempt was made on The U.S ambassador in Lima, Peru"

"Casualties?" asked Tony.

"4 Marines K.I.A, another 3 wounded. The Ambassador survived, but The Gunnery Sergeant in command of the Marine Detachment was one of the 4 killed" explained Colleton.

"Hostiles?" asked Malachi.

"2 dozen killed" said Colleton. "You wanna hear the best part?" asked Colleton with a smile.

"What?" asked Tony, who was starting to get confused.

"It wasn't the Marine's who saved The Ambassador's life, it was 2 JAGs" said Colleton

"What are 'JAGs'" asked Malachi.

"Judge Advocate General, they're lawyers" said Tony. He then turned to his CO and asked "Were they at least our paper shufflers?".

Colleton laughed and said "Nope. Navy" said Colleton.

"You're kidding" said Tony.

"Nope" said Colleton. He picked up and file and read "Lieutenant Harmon Rabb Jr. and Lieutenant Junior Grade Megan Austin"

"Rabb?" said Tony. "Where have I heard that name before?" he said. He turned to Malachi, hoping he would have an answer. Tony though for a moment. Then it hit him. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Rabb is the moron who crashed his Tomcat in the ass of The Seahawk during The Gulf War" said Tony.

Colleton laughed and said "Yep, that's him"

"Oh great, we get to meet a celebrity" piped up Chester.

"He ain't the only one. You wanna take agues at who Meg Austin's step-father is?" asked Colleton.

"Audie Murphy?" joked Tony.

"Nope but your close. Colonel Oliver North" said Colleton.

"Holy Shit" said Tony

"Who's Colonel Oliver North? And for that matter, who the hell is Audie Murphy?" asked Malachi.

"Audie Murphy won The Medal of Honor at the age of 19 during World War II. And Colonel Oliver North is one of a handful on US Marines to win The Medal of Honor in Vietnam, and still come out alive" said Tony. Tony then turned his attention back to Tom. "What's our Mission Sir? He asked.

"Your target, is Manuel Ruiz, leader of El Sindero Luminoso" said Colleton.

"The Shinning Path" translated Tony.

"That's right. You'll be met at the Airport in Lima by Rabb and Austin. Wheels up in an hour. Good Hunting, dismissed!" yelled Colleton.

9 hours later. Francisco Pizzaro International Airport, Lima, Peru. When Alpha Team's C-130 touched down in Lima it was 1430 hours local time. When Tony, Malachi and Chester stepped off the plane, they were greeted by 2 Navy officers, dressed in summer whites. "You must be Rabb and Austin" said Tony.

"That's right, and you are?" asked Harm.

"I'm Captain Black, Special Forces" said Tony. "They are Sergeants White and Brown" said Tony as he pointed to Malachi and Chester.

"Seriously who are you?" asked Harm.

"Tell you what Rabb, you survive this mission, and I'll tell you my name" said Tony. There were 2 white GMC Suburban waiting for them. "Ironman, take a ride with the pretty Ms. Austin" ordered Tony. Then he looked at Malachi. "Blue Star, you and me are gonna ride with the flyboy" he said, making reference to when Lieutenant Rabb was a pilot. Chester got into the passenger seat of the 1st Suburban as Meg got into the driver's seat. She started the engine and drove away.

Malachi jumped in the backseat on the 2nd Suburban, as Tony got into the passenger seat and he let Harm drive. "How did you know I was once a pilot?" Harm asked.

"I remember seeing you on ZNN after you tied to ass-rape the Seahawk with your Tomcat" said Tony as he laughed at his own joke.

"Fuck you" replied Harm. Obviously he didn't find it so funny.

"What's the matter Harm n' Hammer, no sense of humor?" asked Tony. When Harm didn't answer, Tony decided to move the conversation else where. For the rest of the trip to the US Embassy was spent with the 3 men discussing El Sindero Luminoso and The assassination attempt from the day before. The trip to the Embassy took about 20 minutes. When Tony's Suburban pulled up, he saw that Chester's was already there. Lt jg Austin was sitting on the hood on the drivers side as Chester had his arms spread to either side of her. As Chester leaned in closer Meg started to giggle. Tony jumped out of the SUV and yelled "You can play grabass with the nice Lieutenant later Ironman" said Tony with his trademark 1000-watt smile. As Chester reluctantly backed away, Meg frowned, looking extremely disappointed. _It appears that Lieutenant Junior Grade Megan Austin_ _of The U.S Navy Judge Advocate General Corps has developed a crush on young Staff Sergeant Chester Martin of The U.S Army Delta Force. What a screwed up combination that is_ Tony thought.

After their briefing with The CIA's Lima Station Chief, Tony, Malachi and Chester were prepping their gear in the Embassy's basement when both Harm and Meg walked in. "We're going with you" said Harm.

Tony looked up and gave Harm a flat "No".

"What do you mean 'No'?" asked Rabb.

"No, as no you are not going. Didn't really think that needed to be explained further" said Tony.

"What gives you the right to make that decision?" asked Meg.

"My Team, my OP, my rules" said DiNozzo.

"Who do you think you are to talk to us that way" said Meg. "My Step-Daddy has the Medal of Honor". Tony just ignored her and left the room, with Malachi in tow.

Chester went to follow but stopped. "So does The Captain" he said, then he left the room. Meg and Harm just stood their, speechless.

At 0130 hours the next morning, Alpha Team was driven to the edge of town and dropped off. From there they made their way into the hills just outside of town. According to The CIA, Manuel Ruiz and his top lieutenants were held up there, living on a coco plantation, or something like that. It took them about two hours to reach the plantation. Tony decided that they would wait until 1st light, which would be at about 0600 hours, before they made their assault. Armed with Mac-10 Submachine guns and 45s, both silenced and suppressed, their orders were to kill anyone over the age of 16. was it brutal? Yes. Did Tony, Malachi or Chester care? Not really. Tony checked his watch, it was 0400, 2 hours to go. "Hey Mal" he whispered to Malachi.

"Yeah" he replied.

"Let's say a Kidon unit was assigned to take this place. Do you think they would just kill those over 16, or everyone?" asked Tony

"Easy, they would kill everyone, especially if it was Rivkin's Kidon unit" answered Malachi.

The mere mention of Rivkin's name was enough to piss off Tony. _Michael Rivkin. Michael fucking Rivkin. Scum of the earth. He killed John and laughed about it. And he raped that girl Ziva. Ziva _he thought, as the mention of her name was more than enough to brighten his day. Tony loved his wife Kate very much, and would never, ever cheat on her. But goddamn, he had fallen head over heals for Ziva the first time he ever saw her. _Not that it really matters, I'll probably never see Ziva David ever again anyway _he thought. Then he looked up, a in an extremely low voice said "Ziva, I know you can't possibly hear this, but I want you to know, I will kill Michael Rivkin for what he did to you. I promise". He looked around to see if anyone heard him. Both Chester and Malachi seemed to have been pre-occupied with watching the compound.

However, unbeknownst to Tony, Malachi had heard every word. Remaining silent, Malachi smiled.

It was 0555 when the sun first peeked over the horizon. With a nod, Tony said "Let's do it". The 3 men stood up from the ditch they had been hiding in and slowly crept forward. There were 3 sentries patrolling the fields. Chester used his silenced 45. to shoot the one in front of him. Malachi did the same. Tony, however, decided to save his bullets. Tony silently crept up behind the sentry in front of him, the sentry completely oblivious to Tony's presence. When Tony was within inches of the sentry he jumped up and snapped the guy's neck. As the man's body went limp in his arms, he lowered him to the ground.

As they approached the main house, the 3 men un-slung their Mac-10s. Tony silently approached the big glass window that looked into the dinning room. When he peered inside, he saw a total of 16 men gathered around a long table, 7 men on the sides, with 1 one each end. At the far end of the table sat Manuel Ruiz, the man Tony was sent to kill. Tony motioned for Malachi and Chester to join him at the window. The 2 men squatted down below the window and waited for Tony's signal. Using his hand, Tony counted down, 3-2-1. when he hit one, the 3 men opened fire through the window. The peaceful breakfast was turned into a slaughterhouse inside of 30 seconds. The 3 men emptied their 30-round clips. As they reloaded, Tony looked into the down destroyed dinning room. 16 bloodied and mangled bodies lay throughout the room. At the far end, Ruiz's body, which had 4 holes in its chest, had slumped back into his chair. Then, Tony heard someone shout in Spanish "La Policia". He turned and saw another one of Ruiz's guards holding an AK-47. Both he and Tony fired at the same time. 3 of Tony bullets struck home hitting the man in the chest. Unfortunately, the guard had managed to get a shot off, and one of his bullets stuck Tony in the left shoulder. "AHH" he screamed as the bullet tore into his flesh. Luckily, the bullet did not hit the brachial artery, and it was just a through and through. Both Malachi and Chester came over to check on him, by Tony waved them off. "Don't worry about me, just finish off Ruiz's guards" ordered Tony.

Lieutenant Harmon Rabb Jr. and Lieutenant Junior Grade Megan Austin were tearing up the backcountry dirt road as they headed for Manuel Ruiz's Plantation. Harm's foot was to the floor as he put the pedal to the metal on their Marine HUMVEE. "Ya know Harm, Captain What's his name, won't be very happy to see us" said Meg.

"No, he probably won't, but I'll bet that young Sergeant 'Ironman" will probably be very happy to see you" said Harm grinning, causing Meg to blush. "You have a crush on him don't you?" he asked.

"Maybe" she replied, but she blushed even more as she kept smiling.

Tony checked his watch as Chester patched up his shoulder. 0645. the entire operation had taken less than an hour. In total, Ruiz, 3 of his top lieutenants, and 20 of their bodyguards were dead. Tony looked up as he heard a vehicle approaching. He went to reach for his Mac-10, but stopped when he saw it was a Marine HUMVEE. "Son of a bitch" said Tony as he saw who was driving. "Great the Lawyers are here" he said to Chester, who laughed quietly. Then Tony turned his attention to Lieutenant Rabb. "Good thing your hear Rabb, I'd like to file suit against the guy that shot me" said Tony laughing.

"Always a wise ass ah Captain" replied Harm.

"I ordered you to stay put back at the Embassy, and considering I outrank Austin and have you, Rabb, on date of Rank, it was a lawful order" said Tony. Then seeing Rabb's expression he said "You don't care do you" asked Tony.

"Not one bit" replied Harm.

"You know who you remind me of Rabb?" asked Tony.

"Who?"

"Me" said Tony smiling. He stuck out his right hand and said "Captain Anthony Dominick DiNozzo. Tony"

Harm shook his hand. "What about your men?" asked Harm.

"Senior Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon" said Malachi. Seeing Harm's facial expression, Malachi continued "I'm Israeli, I'm a trained Israeli Commando and Mossad Operative, assigned to The Delta Force" he explained.

Then Chester, who had finished patching up Tony shoulder walked up to Lieutenant Austin "Staff Sergeant Chester Martin" . as he said this he leaned in and bent Meg over backwards a she gave her a very passionate kiss. Harm's jaw dropped, and Both Tony and Malachi started hysterically laughing.

**A/N- is case you didn't get the "Harm and Hammer" joke, it was a play on the "Arm and Hammer" Company which makes Baking soda and laundry detergent. **

**-"Hammer" however, also foreshadows something about Harm's past and future. Do you know what it is? **

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW**


	14. Chapter 14

**Previously on "28 Seconds"-**

_ Then Chester, who had finished patching up Tony shoulder walked up to Lieutenant Austin "Staff Sergeant Chester Martin" he said as this he leaned in and bent Meg over backwards a she gave her a very passionate kiss. Harm's jaw dropped, and Both Tony and Malachi started hysterically laughing. _

**The Following takes place during the JAG episode: Scimitar (Season 1, episode 9)**

**And Now- The Next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

0930 hours, 13 January 1996, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. "2 days ago, a Marine Lance Corporal Lewis Dixon, was kidnapped inside Kuwaiti borders by The Iraqi Republican Guard" said Colonel Colleton. "The Iraqis intend to put him on 'trial' for espionage. In order to make this farce seem legitimate, the Iraqis have allowed 2 Navy JAGs to go defend him" said Colleton.

"2 Navy JAGs" said Tony smiling. "Why do I get the strange felling we know these 2 paper pushers" said Tony

"Because you do" said Colleton smiling.

Tony sighed and said "Lieutenant Rabb and Lieutenant JG Austin"

"That's right" said Colleton.

Without even turning around to look at him, Tony said "Lose the grin Chester". Both Colonel Colleton and Malachi cracked up.

"Alpha Team is heading to Iraq. Lieutenants Rabb and Austin will provide a distraction with this trial, while the three of you work out an exfill plan" said Colleton.

"Are we weapons free?" asked Tony

"Yes" replied Colleton.

"Any backup?" asked Tony.

"Codename 'Scimitar', he or she is the CIA's top asset in Iraq" informed Colleton. "Make it happen" ordered Colleton.

**2 Days Later…**

"This is a stupid plan, Malachi" said Tony through the black hood over his head. Both Tony and Chester were dressed as Force Recon Marines and had their hands tied behind their backs and had black hoods over their heads. Malachi was walking behind them, dressed in the garb of the Iraqi Republican Guard, holding an AK-47 to their backs. "I already have 1 Purple Heart from Peru, I really don't want another"

"Just shut up, it'll work if you two just keep your mouths shut" said Malachi. Malachi led them to the entrance to the cell block, when they were stopped by a guard.

"_What is this?"_ the guard asked in Arabic.

_"2 Prisoners, American Marines, found them outside the west wall" _replied Malachi, also in Arabic.

_"Ah, 2 more imperialist pigs for the slaughter"_ laughed the guard. The Guard let them pass and Malachi led them into the cell block. He led them to a cell, that was conveniently right next to the one were Corporal Dixon was being held. The walls on the cells were only steal bars, so both Tony and Chester knew they would be able communicate with Corporal Dixon. Malachi led his two teammates into their cell, where he removed their hoods and cut the ropes binding their hands. Once Malachi had secured Tony and Chester in their cell, he left, as it was his job to make contact with Harm and Meg. Once Tony saw that all the guards were gone, he crawled over towards Corporal's Dixon's cell.

"Hey Jarhead" whispered Tony. Corporal Dixon, who had been lying on the cold concrete floor, rolled over and looked in Tony's direction.

"Yeah?" he asked.

"How you doing Devil Dog?" asked Tony.

"Who are you?" he asked. Then he looked at Tony and Chester and asked "You ain't no Marine"

"Damn Right Jarhead" said Tony. "Captain Black, Special Forces" whispered Tony.

"Sergeant White" whispered Chester. "We're here to get you out kid"

"How do I know I can trust you?" he asked

"Lt. Austin has a 36C Chest" whispered Chester. While Corporal Dixon found that little bit of information hysterical, Tony was in disbelief.

"How the hell do you know that?" asked Tony. As Chester went to answer, Tony held up his hand. "Never mind, I think I have a pretty good idea" he said.

It was 2330 hours local time when Malachi was finally able to contact The Navy JAGs. Unfortunately, he could only find Lieutenant Rabb. Rabb was asleep in his room. Malachi, after checking the hall, quickly picked the lock on the door to Harm's room. He knew the room was bugged but fortunately, there were no spy cams. He opened the door, and silently approached Harm's bed. He slapped his hand over Harm's mouth to keep him from screaming. Harm thrashed around for a second before he saw Malachi. Malachi brought a finger to his lips, signaling for Harm to be quiet. Then he motioned for Harm to follow him.

It was dark inside the prison, as there were no lights. Tony was leaning against the back wall when he heard a voice "_You, Solider"_ said the voice in a middle eastern accent. Tony looked around and didn't see anyone

"Who's there?" he asked. Then something hit Tony in the face, a metallic object. He reached down and saw it was a key.

"Scimitar" replied the voice. Then the silence of the prison returned. Tony wasted no time in unlocking his and Chester's cell. Then, the got Corporal Dixon out of his. They made there way up the stairs to the main door. Tony peered around the corner and saw two guards. Tony and Chester laid Dixon up against the wall.

"Wait here, and don't make a sound" whispered Tony. Silently, Tony and Chester approached the unsuspecting guards. Quickly and quietly they snuck up behind and dropped them; snapping their necks. With the guards dead, Tony and Chester picked up their AK-47s, their Tokarev TT-33 pistols and their ammo. After retrieving Dixon, they were met outside the prison by Lieutenant Rabb and Malachi.

"Where's Meg, um, I mean Lieutenant Austin?" asked Chester.

"We can not locate her" said Malachi

"God dammit, we can't leave her here" said Tony. "Ok, Rabb, you and Blue Star take Corporal Dixon and find us some wheels". Then he turned to Chester "Ironman, your with me, we'll go find Lieutenant Austin.

Lieutenant JG Meg Austin was being held against her will in the private dinning room of the Prison Commandant, and Judge of the "Trial", Colonel Galem Farhan. She was tied to a chair at the end of the table, as Colonel Farhan was trying, and failing, to seduce her. " .Alone!" she screamed as Colonel Farhan attempted to kiss her for the umpteenth time.

"You are feisty, this pleases me great" he said laughing. Then suddenly, his laughing abruptly stopped. He started gasping for air. As he turned away from Meg, she saw a knife sticking out of his back. Blood began to pool in the Colonel's mouth as he collapsed to the floor. Meg looked up, shocked and saw a man standing in the open doorway.

"Nobody hurts my girl" said the man, as he walked forward and retrieved his knife from Farhan's body. He whipped the blood off on the Colonel's uniform. The Meg realized who the man was.

"Chester?" she said. Chester looked up and gave her a huge smile. Chester used the knife to cut the ropes that were binding Meg's arms and legs to the chair. She had been tied to the chair for a while, and her body wasn't ready to stand yet. When she tried to stand, she fell forward into Chester's arms. She looked up and smiled. "My hero" she said in her sweet Texan accent. Chester leaned down to her and planted a passionate kiss on her lips. Meg not only reciprocated the kiss, but added to it; and she forced her tongue down Chester's throat.

"Really?" said Tony as he entered the room and saw Chester and Meg playing tongue hockey. Both Chester and Meg stopped what they were doing and looked up at the awaiting Captain DiNozzo.

"Sorry Top" apologized Martin.

"Sorry Sir" said Meg.

"Just move it, unless you enjoyed our stay in this Iraqi Hilton" said Tony. With their fingers intertwined, Chester led Meg out of the room. Tony was about to walk out when he saw a large oil painting of Saddam Hussein hanging on the wall. Then he saw a lighter on the table. He grabbed the lighter and walked over to the painting. Lighting it, he put the lighter to the corner of the oil painting. In a matter of seconds the painting was engulfed in flames. He tossed the lighter on the ground. "Like a Phoenix, I rise from the asses, and into my fire, you shall fall" her said as he left the room. He got outside of Colonel Farhan's personal quarters, he found Malachi waiting with their ride; Colonel Farhan's private limousine. "Really?" he asked Malachi.

"Just get in" said Malachi as he got into the driver's seat, with Rabb in the passenger seat. Tony jumped into the back, where he found Corporal Dixon, Chester and Lt. Austin. Malachi put the Mercedes Benes Limo into gear and headed for the main gate. When Malachi saw that the guards were going to stop him, he gunned it. The Mercedes crashed through the wooden gate. Tony used the butt of his AK-47 to bash through the glass moon roof on the roof of the limo. With the glass knocked away, He and Chester stood up and fired back at the guards.

"How far to the border?" Harm asked Malachi.

"60 miles to the Kuwaiti Border" replied Malachi.

1st light broke at about 0515 hours. Alpha Team was about 5 miles from the border. "You hear that?" Tony asked Chester.

"What?" replied Chester. Tony popped his head up through the bashed out, windowless moon roof.

"Oh Shit" said Tony. Soaring just above the horizon was a Mil Mi-24 Hind Ground Attack Helicopter. Tony got back down and yelled to Malachi "Step on it Mal, we got a Hind on our Six!". Malachi mashed the accelerator, gunning the engine. Tony and Chester grabbed their AKs and started firing at The Hind through the moon roof.

"Oh yeah, this is gonna work, 2 AKs vs. a Hind" said Chester sarcastically.

"Just shut up and shoot" ordered Tony. "Mal, how close are we?" he asked Malachi.

"1 mile" replied Malachi as he threw Tony the sate phone. Tony picked it up off the seat.

"Rattler One, this is Movie Buff, one mile out, enemy rotorwing in hot pursuit. Ready the welcome wagon" Tony said.

_Copy that Movie Buff, have acquired bogey, will engage once inside friendly territory" _came the reply. Malachi gunned the engine again. The Mercedes barreled over the border

"Rattler-One, we are home free, repeat home free, enemy rotorwing has not disengaged, suggest your roll out the welcome mat" said Tony.

_"Copy that Movie Buff"_ said the voice. _"Rattler-One, Fox-3" _came over the radio. Tony looked up and saw a sidewinder come off the rails on the waiting F-14 Tomcat. The missile tore through the sky and slammed into the side of the Hind. The Hind blew into a million pieces.

"Good Hits Rattler-One, repeat, Good Hits" said Tony as he smiled.

Both Harm and Meg were stunned. "Are things always this fun with you Sir?" Meg asked Tony.

Tony looked over at Chester and said "I think she's a keeper, Staff Sergeant " Tony said, smiling his trademark 1000-watt smile.


	15. Chapter 15

**The Following takes place during the JAG episode: Defensive Action (Season 1, episode 13)**

**-And now, the next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

_"This is Stuart Dunston, ZNN, reporting live from Naples, where US Navy Captain Thomas 'CAG' Boone has just arrived at Headquarters of the US 6__th__ Fleet, here in Naples. The 'CAG' is facing a Court Martial following his actions over the Serbian 'No-Fly Zone' just 36 hours ago. The 'CAG' and his wingman, Lieutenant Curtis Painter were flying a routine patrol when Lt. Painter suffered a bird strike and was forced to eject. It was then that a Serbian Mil Mi-24 Hind Ground Attacker Helicopter appeared. What was it doing there? That is still unclear. What happened next is The 'CAG' opened fire on the Hind, destroying it. The CAG claims that the Hind was firing on Lt .Painter's parachute, while the Serbians claim the helicopter was there merely to lend its assistance. Lt. Painter, however, is still Missing in Action, behind enemy lines" _

"'Lend its assistance' my ass" said Chester Martin as he watched Dunston's ZNN Report on the TV. They sat waiting in an empty office at 6th Fleet Headquarters. Chester and Tony had arrived in Naples just 2 hours prior, at the request of Captain Boone's defense team, Lieutenant Rabb and Lieutenant JG Austin.

"How did we get caught up in this anyway?" asked Tony. Both of them were in their Class A dress uniforms.

"We're here Sir, because Colonel Colleton ordered us here" replied Chester.

"Are you sure? Are you sure that we're not here because your girlfriend requested us?" asked Tony, smiling.

"She's not my…girlfriend" said Chester, as he sounded almost upset.

"You saying you don't like her?" asked Tony.

"No, that's just it; I'm puppy dog in love with her. But she's an officer, I'm just an NCO" he said.

"What have you done with her?" asked Tony.

"Well, you and Mal were there when I kissed her in Peru, and then we made out in Iraq. That's it" said Chester.

"That's it? Then how did you know her bra size is a 36C?" asked Tony

"I don't, I made that up on the spot" smiled Chester. Before Tony could reply, the door to the office opened, and Lieutenants Rabb and Austin walked in.

"Harm" said Tony as he extended his hand.

Harm shook it as he said "Tony, good to see you".

"So why are me and the kid here Harm?" asked Tony.

"Rescue Mission, Meg is taking over CAG's Defense while you and me go look for Lt. Painter." He said. "But wait, I only asked Colonel Colleton for you, Tony" said Harm. Then both of them looked over to a blushing Lieutenant Austin. That's when Tony decided to have a little fun with her.

"Lieutenant Junior Grade Megan Austin" he said in a serious voice. "Stand at attention when a Superior Officer speaks to you.

"Yes Sir, Captain DiNozzo, Sir" she said as she snapped to a stiff attention. Then Tony turned his attention to a grinning Chester.

"You will also stand at attention, Staff Sergeant Martin.

"Yes Sir" he said as he too snapped to a stiff attention.

"That's better. Now, Lieutenant Austin, you will answer the following questions truthfully, or I will have your" he paused "1 ½ bars, is that understood?" he said as he got right in Meg's face. Then turning to Chester he said "And then I'll have your stripes".

"Sir, Yes, Sir" they both replied. Then Tony turned his attention to Chester 1st.

"Staff Sergeant Martin, have you at anytime, kissed Lieutenant JG Austin?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

"Yes Sir" he replied.

"Have the 2 of you slept together?" he asked.

"No Sir"

"Are you in love with Lieutenant Austin" asked Tony.

After hesitating, Chester finally answered "Sir, Yes Sir". Tony ten looked over at Meg, who was blushing bright red.

"Lt. Austin, did you intentionally at Staff Sergeant Martin's name to the request submitted to Colonel Thomas Colleton?" asked Tony.

"Yes Sir, I did Sir" she replied.

"Is this because you like him?" he asked.

"Sir?" she asked confused.

"I this because you like him, as in you have romantic feelings for him?" asked Tony

"No sir, I do not like him Sir" she replied. Tony stood their shocked. He looked over at Chester, you looked heart broken.

"Oh" said Tony.

"Captain Sir, you asked me if I 'like' him. I do not" she paused "I am in love with him, Sir" she said. Tony's went from shock to his trademark 1000-watt grin.

"Well then" said Tony. He turned to Harm and said "Harm, I believe you and me have a rescue mission to plan, why don't we leave these two to study" said Tony as he pushed Harm out of the room, as he closed the door behind them.

"Study? What the hell could we possibly stuff?" asked Chester. Tony opened the door and stuck his head in.

"Human Anatomy?" he suggested with a huge grin. Tony watched as Chester smiled and Meg blushed bright red.

**2 Hours Later**

Tony and Rabb stood on the flight deck of The U.S.S Seahawk, which was on station in the Adriatic Sea, off the coast of the Former Yugoslavia. After a little persuasion, Harm and Tony had convinced Captain Johnson to loan then the use of one of his Sea Stallions. Tony kept playing the conversation over in his head.

_"And who might you be?" Captain Johnson asked Tony?_

_ "Captain Black, Special Forces" replied Tony_

_ "What's your real name?" asked Johnson._

_ "Classified" replied Tony. The Captain then turned his attention back to Harm. _

_ "So what is it you need Rabb?" he asked._

_ "I ride into Serbia Sir" he replied. _

_ "Why?" asked The Captain._

_ "To find Lieutenant Curtis Painter, The CAG's Wingman, he can prove that the Hind was firing at him" said Rabb._

_ "You're a lawyer Rabb, not a paratrooper" said Johnson._

_ "That's why I'm here Sir" stated Tony. _

_ "I'll tell you what" said the Captain "I'm gonna let you two take a fly over in a Sea Stallion, Marines have been known to jump out of them" said The Captain._

_ "Well Sir, I ain't Fuckin Jarhead" said Tony smiling._

_ "Doggy?" he asked_

_ "Woof, woof Sir" said Tony smiling. _

The Plan was simple, HALO jump from Angels 35, or 35,000 feet AGL. From there they would proceed on foot to search for Lt. Painter. "Hey Rabb" yelled Tony over the sound of the helicopter's blades "have you ever HALO jumped before?" Tony asked.

"It's a little late know isn't it?" said Harm. They were currently 35,000 feet above Serbia. "Harm you ever done it?" asked Harm

"Yes" replied Tony.

"When?" asked Harm.

"I'd tell you, but then I'd have to kill ya" said Tony smiling.

"You don't think Meg and Staff Sergeant Martin are gonna do anything do you?" asked Harm.

"Honestly, call it gut instinct, but I got the weirdest feeling that they are in your office, right now, making love to 'In The Air Tonight' by Phil Collins" laughed Tony.

Lieutenant JG Austin had done her best. Try as she might, she wasn't able to get the judge to grant a continuance until Harm and Captain DiNozzo got back with Lieutenant Painter. Then she had given it her all in court. But when he only other witness, Ensign Carl Barrett, who was The CAG's RIO was impeached by the prosecutor, Commander Allison Krennick, she knew the case was doomed. Her only hope that the CAG's own testimony, his impeccable service record and Meg's own fiery closing argument would get The CAG off the hook. It was 2000 hours and the sun had set. She was sitting on the edge of her desk, in the temporary office that had been provided for her. She had been sitting there, for over an hour, crying. She had failed. She just wanted to be alone. She jumped when she felt a pair of arms close around her waist from behind. Her attention snapped to behind her, and she relaxed when see saw it was Chester, holding her in his arms. "How did you get in here? I thought I locked the door" she asked.

He smiled and said "You did. But then I heard you crying, so I picked the lock" he finished. She laughed and tilted her head back, resting it in the crook of Chester's neck. "Did you mean what you said before?" asked Chester. "About your feeling?"

"Did you?" she asked.

"Yes" he said. "I love you Meg. I've been in love with you since I first stepped off that plane in Peru" he said.

"I love you too Chester" she replied, with tears of joy in her eyes. He spun her around so they were face to face. She gazed into his blue eyes and ran her fingers through his brown hair. Chester leaned forward and captured her lips with his own. Meg locked her arms around his neck and wrapped her legs around his waist. Chester let his hands slide down her back until he got to her ass. Grabbing it, which caused her to slightly giggle; he scooped her off the table and pressed her back against the wall as their tongues fought for control in their mouths.

_I can feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord_

_ And I've been waiting for this moment tall my life, oh Lord_

_ Can you feel it coming in the air tonight, oh Lord, oh Lord_

Tony checked his watch. 0300. that gave him and Harm just under 3 hours to find Lieutenant Painter and get to the extraction point where a Marine Force Recon Team and A Sea Stallion would be waiting for them. Fortunately, Lt. Painter had activated his tracking beacon, so finding him wouldn't be too difficult. Both Tony and Harm were dressed in Commando fatigues, and there faces were blacked out. They had been armed with MP5 submachine guns and sidearms. While Harm chose a Glock 17, Tony preferred his own M9.

They were a ½ mile from the Painter's location when Tony heard something. "Get down" he whispered to Harm as he dove for the deck. Only seconds later a Serbian patrol on horseback rode past them. Both Tony and Harm held their breath as the patrol passed. Once it was out of sight, Tony said "I swear to God Harm, one of these days you're going to get me killed".

"Not bad for a Lawyer" said Harm smiling.

"Not GOOD for my wife and kid" said Tony. Before Harm could reply Tony said "Come on, we gotta move". Harm and Tony made there way down a hill, where they came to a camp. There were 5 Serbian soldiers and a tied up man off to the side. "There's Curtis" Tony whispered to Harm. "OK, here's the plan, you go around the far side and get him, and I'll handle the guards" ordered Tony. He un-slung his MP5 and slowly approached the center of the camp, where the Serbian fighters were cooking dinner over an open fire. _"Oh Chicken, my favorite_" said Tony in Serbian. The 5 men turned around to see Tony, holding his MP5, pointing it at them. When one of them went for his rifle, Tony opened fire. As he was reloading, Harm walked over, with Lieutenant Painter leaning on his shoulder.

"Nice shooting" said Harm. Then Tony noticed something. In one of the Serb's tents. He slung his MP5 back over his shoulder and approached the tent. He squatted down and pulled his Bowie Knife from his ankle sheath. Then, he reached in and grabbed what he assumed was Lt. Painter's parachute. He cut off a piece and held it up to Harm.

"See that hole. It's 2.5 cm. you know what has armament like that?" he asked.

"A Mil MI-24 Hind" said Harm.

When Staff Sergeant Chester Martin woke the next morning, he found that he was lying on the floor of Lieutenant Austin's temporary office. On his chest, laid, a very pretty, young blond Lieutenant Junior Grade Megan Austin. They had been using his jacket as a blanket. He felt Meg start to stir. She looked up at him and smiled. "Hey you" she said in a low voice as she leaned up and kissed him.

"Morning sweetheart" he said. Then he looked up. At the far end of the room, a man sat at the small roundtable drinking coffee. "Oh shit" he said. Then Meg turned to see what he was talking about. They saw Captain DiNozzo, sipping his morning coffee.

"Morning" he said, grinning his trademark 1000-watt smile. Meg went to get up, but Tony held up a hand. "Don't worry about the trial Lieutenant Austin, Harm has all the evidence you'll need and he's already handed it over to the judges. That and Lieutenant Painter's testimony should be more than enough to get The CAG off the hook" said Tony.

"Good job Meggy" said Chester as he kissed her on the cheek, causing her to blush.

Tony leaned back in his chair and put his feet up onto the small table. Taking a sip of his coffee, he asked "So, how was anatomy class?" smiling his 1000-watt smile.

**A/N- So what do you guys think of The JAG Crossovers? And what is your opinion of Meg and Chester's relationship?**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N- and now the next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

0930 hours, 17 February 1996, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Senior Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon was alone in the T.O.C on this beautiful February morning. The fact that he was alone surprised him. He knew that Tony was off on some undisclosed and classified mission, in some undisclosed and classified location. However, he was shocked that Staff Sergeant Martin hadn't been called in. Just then, his train of thought was abruptly interrupted when Colonel Thomas Colleton walked into the room. "Morning Colonel" said Malachi.

"Morning Malachi. Have a seat son" he said, waving Malachi to a chair. Malachi sat down as his CO continued. "How long have you been with The Unit, Mal?" he asked.

"5 years sir" he replied.

"And in those 5 years, you have become one hell of a soldier. Hell, ever since Hirsch died, may he rest in peace, you've been DiNozzo's right hand man. You've also been our key into the padlock known as The Mossad. You've done good son" Tom said

"Sir, I'm more Unit than Mossad now. I didn't like it there to begin with, but if I've ever had thoughts of returning, they were obliterated when that Son-of-a-Whore Rivkin killed Johnny" said Malachi.

"John Hirsch was a good man" said The Colonel. "So Mal, you ready for your 1st solo run?" he asked.

"As in no backup?" asked Malachi.

"Unfortunately, with Movie Buff, out of the office so to speak, you'll be going this one alone" explained the Colonel.

"What's the Op Sir?" he asked.

"Your heading to Cuba" smiled Colonel Colleton. "I hear Havana is lovely this time of year" smiled Colleton, causing Malachi to chuckle. "You'll be going undercover as a member of VIVAK, The Iranian Intelligence Service" said Colleton.

"What's my target?" asked Malachi.

"Dr. Abdul Nasseem, a Iranian Nuclear Scientist. He's in Cuba in order to help Castro develop his nuclear weapons program" explained Colleton.

"Kill or capture?" asked Malachi. Colonel Colleton slid his finger across his throat. "Understood sir" replied Malachi

0730 hours, 18 February 1996, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The bright morning sun pierced through Chester Martin's bedroom window. he blinked his eyes a few times and looked down at his chest and saw a beautiful blonde laying across his chest. He leaned forward and kissed her scalp. "Morning Meggy" he said. Lieutenant JG Megan Austin started to stir. She looked up him, with a beautiful smile on her face.

"Morning baby" she said as she leaned forward and kissed him. Their kissed was rudely interrupted by the ringing of Chester's phone

"I thought I told you to take it off hook" mumbled Chester against her lips. With a sigh, he threw back the covers and walked out of his room headed for the kitchen. As he walked down the hall, he realized something, that neither he nor Meg were wearing any clothes. He smiled at the thought of the previous night as he grabbed the phone. "Martin" he said answering.

"_Colonel Colleton, get dressed and get your six over to the T.O.C ASAP" _he ordered.

"Yes Sir" replied Chester

"_Oh, and bring Lieutenant Austin with you"_ ordered Colleton. Before Chester had a chance to reply, Colleton hung up and the only thing Chester could here was the dial tone. He placed the phone back on the receiver and walked back to the bedroom, where he found Meg kneeling on his bed, wearing his Toledo Mud Hens t-shirt.

"Who was that?" she asked.

"Colonel Colleton, he ordered us down to the T.O.C ASAP" he said.

"'Us' as in your team?" she asked.

"Nope, 'us' as in you and me darlin'" he said as he winked at her.

It took them and hour and a half to shower, together, get dressed an arrive at the T.O.C. once they arrived, they found Colonel Colleton waiting for them. 'About time y'all showed up" said Colleton. "Attention to orders Martin" he yelled. The, Colleton reached into his left breast pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of paper, which he started to read aloud "'By order of Major General, William F. Garrison, Commanding General, Special Operations Command, U.S.A, the promotion of one Martin, Chester C. to the rank of Sergeant 1st Class'". Chester beamed.

"Yay!" squealed Meg as she skipped forward and gave Chester a kiss on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you, _Sergeant 1__st__ Class_" she said as she gave him another kiss on the cheek.

"And seeing as how you ain't married, and Tony is, out of the office" he paused an looked at Meg "Lieutenant you didn't hear that" he said turning back to Chester "I decided to let your girlfriend, Lieutenant Austin, pin your new chevrons on" said Colleton smiling, as he handed the new Sergeant 1st Class Chevrons to Meg.

"She's not my"

"Cut the crap Chester, everyone knows about you 2, hell, there's a Unit pool about when you'll pop the question" said Colleton smiling. "Oh, and don't worry about Lt. Austin's CO finding out, he's an ex-seal, and knows full well he can't put any allegations on paper" said Colleton smiling. Meg pinned the chevrons on Chester's sleeves and gave him, a long, passionate kiss on the lips.

2300, 23 February 1996, The Las Palmas Hotel, Havana, Cuba. Malachi had been following Dr. Nasseem for 5 days, and now it was time to finish the job. Nasseem's hotel room was on the 5th floor. There were 2 Cuban Soldiers in front of his hotel room door at all times. For this assignment, Tokarev TT-33 Pistol, instead of his usual M9, that way the gun would be untraceable back to the United States. He entered the hotel via a rear service entrance and headed up the stairwell to the 5th floor. He slightly cracked the door and saw the 2 soldiers guarding the Doctors door. He quickly attached the silencer to his Tokarev and quietly opened the door to the hallway. he approached the guards and quickly raised up his gun. He fired 3 rounds into the side of each of their heads. The 2 men's bodies fell to the fool, a blood pooled around their heads. he quickly picked the lock to the doctor's room and he silently entered. He holstered his pistol and drew his Micro-tech Halo knife, which was Serbian Special Forces issue. He walked over to the doctor's bed, were the good doctor was sound asleep. Malachi picked up a pillow off the floor and placed it over the doctor's face. He flicked open the blade on the knife and stabbed through the pillow, into the doctor's face, several times. "A message from Vincent Corleone" he whispered. _I have got to stop watching all those Godfather movies with Tony and Kate_ he thought. he retracted the knife and walked over to the window. he opened it and threw both his knife and gun out to the street below. He shut the window and left the room, carefully stepping over the dead guards bodies. He made his way down to the second floor. He found the door to the security office. After once again picking the lock, he silently opened the door. he found the security officer, asleep in his chair. He silently approached the man from behind, putting his hands around the man's neck, he snapped it. Then he retrieved the tape of the 2nd and 5th floors, the ones that would show him. they, he unplugged the recorders for the rest of the cameras. Exiting the security office, he calmly made for the exit. Once outside, he walked the 2 blocks to the Marina, where he dropped the tapes in the water. At the end of the docks, he spotted the boat named "El Azul". Where Captain Bauer was waiting for him.

**24 hours later**

"Congrats Chester" said Malachi as he slapped him on the back. "you'll make a fine Sergeant 1st Class" he said as he raised his beer in the air. Colonel Colleton, Captain Bauer, Staff Sergeants King and Hopper, Meg and Chester, and The Colonel's aide, Warrant officer Bridget Sullivan, did the same.

"Cheers!" they all said as they clinked their beers together. Then as they drank, Chester looked over to Colonel Colleton.

"Hey, Colonel, where is Tony anyway?" asked Chester.

Panama was a beautiful country this time of year. However, the country had been in chaos ever since Noriega was ousted 7 years earlier. There was this run down villa, just outside the town of Miraloda, which when translated into English, means "look at the mud". The peaceful silence of the villa was suddenly broken when a truck filled with Panamanian Soldiers and a Panamanian Army Colonel rolled up. _"Search the buildings"_ yelled the Colonel in Spanish. His 12 men entered the Villa's main house to begin their search, as the Colonel lit up a Cuban cigar.

On a hill, a quarter-mile from the villa, a man, dressed in Commando fatigues and his faced blacked out, was watching the search take place. As the last of the 12 soldiers entered the building, the man reached into his pocket and pulled out a detonator. He flicked off the safety and press down on the trigger. He watched as the main house of the Villa exploded. All the windows blew out as the erupted into flames. The Cigar flew from the Colonel's mouth as he was thrown the ground by the force of the explosion.

The Man from the hill walked toward the villa as the Colonel began to stand up off the ground. "Yeah, I'll bet that hurt" said the man. The Colonel turned to see who was talking, as the man pulled a 45. ACP from his belt. The man fired 2 shots into the colonel's chest. The colonel fell onto his back as the man walked forward and stood above him. The Man pointed his 45. at the Colonel's chest and fired 3 more rounds. The Man holstered his weapon and pulled a sate phone out. "Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, target eliminated, Movie Buff out". The Man slipped on his Aviator sunglasses and walked away.


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: Hemlock (Season 1, episode 15)**

**And now, the next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

0803 hours, 14 March 1996, Adams House Hotel, Washington D.C. Both Tony and Chester were dressed in suits as they waited on the sidewalk outside The Adam's House Hotel on the frosty March Morning. Then, Tony's earwig radio cracked _"Movie Buff, this is Blue Star, Codename Shepard is headed to you now" _said Malachi.

"Copy that Blue Star, myself and Ironman ready to receive package, sidewalk is clear, over" replied Tony. He turned to Chester and said "So Ironman, it's my understanding that we're only a 45 minute drive from Falls Church" said Tony with a smile.

"I hadn't noticed" said Chester, trying to hide a smile.

"Bullshit, you ain't noticed" said Tony.

"Ok, fine, so we're a 45 minute drive from Falls Church, so what?" asked Chester.

"Are you trying to tell me that you ain't got any plans to meet up with Meg?" asked Tony.

"Unfortunately no, this is a top-secret assignment" said Chester.

"Oh, that's right" said Tony "Forgot about that". Then Tony's earwig radio cracked again.

_"Movie Buff, Codename Shepard is approaching front door, repeat we are 20 seconds out" _said Malachi.

"Copy that Blue Star" replied Tony. He turned to Chester and said "They're here kid". A few seconds later Codename: Shepard, his entourage and Malachi, exited the doors and here headed towards the waiting motorcade. Then they heard it, 4 shots in rapid succession. 2 of Shepard's bodyguards went down. Malachi grabbed him, and shielding him with his own body, rushed him back into the hotel. "Shots fired, shots fired" yelled Tony into his radio. "Blue Star, Status of Codename: Shepard?" asked Tony. There was silence for several seconds. "Blue Star come in over" yelled Tony. "Son of a bitch. Ironman, with me" said Tony as he drew his 45. ACP from his shoulder holster. They quickly burst through the front doors and made a beeline for the stairwell.

"What floor Top?" asked Chester as they quickly ascended the stairs

"Penthouse" replied Tony. When they reached the penthouse, Tony kicked open the door. he found 2 more of Shepard's bodyguards shot dead. Then he jumped as he heard 3 shots being fired in the mast bedroom. He motioned for Chester to follow him, as they quickly, but silently approached the door. Tony threw open the door. On the floor he saw an assassin, a silencer P99 in his hand, dead on the floor with 3 shots in his chest. Then, on the far side of the bed, he saw Malachi. With a bullet would in his side. "Mal" Tony yelled as he rushed over to help his friend. When he reached him, he saw Malachi was on top of Codename: Shepard, shielding him with his own body. "Don't worry Mal, looks like a through and through" he paused and looked over at Chester. "Patch him up Ironman" ordered Tony. Then Tony looked over to Codename: Shepard. He squatted down and pulled him up onto the bed. "Are_ you ok, Mr. President" _asked Tony in Russian.

"Da, I ok, thank you young man" he replied in his very heavily Russian-accented English. Tony nodded and walked out of the master bedroom. He pulled out his sate phone and called the Colonel.

"Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, over" said Tony.

_"Movie Buff, this is Marshlands, sitrep, over"_ replied Colonel Colleton.

"Codename: Shepard has been compromised. Location leaked. 4 bodyguards, 1 hostile Kilo Indigo Alpha, Blue Star Whiskey Indigo Alpha, over" replied Tony.

_"Status of Codename: Shepard, over" _asked the Colonel.

"Shaken up, but otherwise ok, over" replied Tony. "What the Fuck happened Colonel, over" yelled Tony.

**24 hours earlier**

It was a beautiful Sunday Morning at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Kate DiNozzo was sitting in a lawn chair on her back patio, reading one of her favorite books, while her son Three and her husband Tony were having a catch with a football. If they weren't away on a mission, Colonel Colleton usually gave the Unit members Sunday off. When Kate heard the phone ring in their kitchen, she reluctantly placed her book down and went to answer it. A minute later she walked back outside. "Honey" she yelled to her husband. "It's Tom" she said. Tony tossed the football to Three and reluctantly walked into his kitchen.

He picked up the phone and said "DiNozzo"

"_Get dressed and get you ass over here ASAP"_ ordered Colleton.

"Come on, Colonel, it's Sunday, it's our day off" pleaded and complained Tony.

_"Shut it DiNozzo, and get your ass over here" _ordered Colleton.

"Yes Sir" said DiNozzo with a heavy sigh. He hung up the phone and turned to his wife. "I'm sorry babe, but"

"Duty Calls" she said.

It took Tony 15 minutes to get to change and drive his 67' Ford Mustang to the T.O.C. "What's up Tom?" he asked as he entered, and saw that Malachi and Chester were already there waiting for them.

"Sit down and shut up Tony" order Colleton.

"Yes Sir. I thought this was going to be a fun meeting" he said.

"We got a V.I.P flying in to Washington today at 1330 hours. Alpha Team has been tasked with his protection" said Colonel as he handed each of them a folder.

"V.I.P has been designated Codename: Shepard, this is his itinerary, memorize and burn it" said Colleton.

"Who is this, 'Codename: Shepard'?" asked Malachi.

"Classified" replied Colleton.

"It's Boris Yeltsin" said Tony as he laid the folder on the table in front of him. Everyone turned and stared at him. "What?" he asked.

"How the hell do you know these things?" asked Colleton.

"It's my job" replied Tony. "Ok, fine, I saw that the flight is coming in from Russia, and that we have our V.I.P staying in the Penthouse of The Adam's House Hotel in D.C. who else could it be beside Yeltsin?" asked Tony rhetorically.

"Yes, its Yeltsin, he's here to sign a nuclear arms reduction treaty. Just do your job and keep him safe" ordered Colleton.

"Yes Sir" said Tony.

**Present Day**

"What the Fuck happened Colonel, over" yelled Tony. There was a long pause.

_"Codename: Shepard's itinerary was leaked"_ said Colleton, with obvious disappointment in his voice.

"How?" asked Tony, who was really ticked off now.

_"Someone at The Pentagon, with an office prefix of"_ he paused "_N-62"_ replied Colleton.

"N-62, that's The Royal Navy's prefix" said Tony.

"_Yes, I know, NCIS is investigating the leak now"_ said Tom.

"Why are Navy Cops investigating it?" asked Tony.

_"The itinerary, it was sent to JAG Headquarters in Falls Church, NCIS believes it was an accident, but they won't rule anything out" _said Colleton. _"But there's strong evidence that it was an accident"_

"What?" asked Tony.

_"There was a shooting, at JAG HQ" _said Colleton, gravely.

"Who?" asked Tony

_ "Lieutenant JG Megan Austin. She was shot once in the back of the head"_ said Colleton.

"Son of a bitch. Did she make it?" asked Tony.

_"She's at Bethesda now, the doctors got the bullet out, but she's in a coma"_ replied Tom.

"Sir, request permission to sent Ironman to Bethesda, she's a key witness to whomever is after Yeltsin" said Tony.

_We know who's after him, 2 people, actually" _explained Tom.

"Who are they?" asked.

_"There's the one hostile that's already dead, and another, Hemlock"_ said Tom.

"Ex-KGB Assassin, legend has it he's the world's greatest hitter" said Tony. "That Hemlock?" he asked.

_ "The very same. The treaty signing takes place in a few hours, just get Yeltsin there in one piece" _ ordered Colleton. Tony hung up and walked back into the bedroom. He motioned for Chester to come with him. Chester walked out the room with Tony, a confused look on his face. "Chester, Meg's been shot" said Tony, not wanting to beat around the bush. "She's been taken to Bethesda, the doctors removed the bullet, but she's in a coma" said Tony gravely. Chester just stared at him. "GO!" Tony yelled as he slapped Chester on the back of the head. Chester took off running.

0930 hours, Intensive Care Unit, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. Meg had an oxygen cane up her nose, to provide her with air, and was hooked up to every machine imaginable. Chester sat, in a chair by her bedside, clutching her hand. He kept talking to her, even with the tears in his eyes. "Your gonna get through this Meggy, you hear me. Your gonna be just fine" he kissed her hand and held it to his heart. "I love you Meggy, I love you with all my heart. I promise to tell you all of this, when you wake up. How we're gonna move in together, get married, have a bunch of kids, and grow old together. I love you Meg" he said, as tears ran down his cheek.

1300 hours, Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. Tony was in the front seat of Yeltsin's limousine as it pulled into the parking garage. After the 1st attempt on his life that morning, Yeltsin's people weren't taking any chances. When the limo came to a stop, Tony was the 1st one out of the car. Tony looked around, for anything out of the ordinary, or for something completely ordinary. Then he noticed something, a red mini-van. "_keep him inside the car" _ said Tony in Russian to one of Yeltsin's bodyguards. Tony approached the mini-van, his hand slipping into his jacket, clutching his 45. then before Tony realized what happened, he was on his back and there was a low ringing in his ears. He sat up and saw what had knocked him down, the mini-van had exploded and was now nothing but a flaming wreck. Then Tony saw something else, a man, running towards the lower level of the garage. "Stop him" he yelled as he managed to scramble to his feet. He took off running after the guy. Tony drew his 45. and fired several shots at the man, but they all missed. The man ran out on to the streets, with not far behind, as Tony gradually, was gaining ground. Tony chased the man down the street and across a busy intersection. As Tony got close, he decided it was now or never. He lunged forward, and grabbed the man by his knees, and dragged him to the ground. The man turned around and elbowed DiNozzo in the jaw several times. The man kicked Tony in the head and lugged for DiNozzo's weapon, which he had dropped when he went for the take down. Tony quickly jumped up, and unsheathed his Bowie Knife from his ankle sheath. The man grabbed Tony's gun and pointed it at DiNozzo. Tony grabbed the man's hand, forcing it upward, the gun went off twice, sending the shots into the air. Tony thrusted several times with his Bowie knife into the man's stomach. Blood began to pool into the man's mouth as he fell back into the wall of the building next to them. He slowly slid down the side of the wall. When he hit the ground, he crumpled over and died. Tony fell backwards into a parked car. "This is Movie Buff, Hemlock down" he said.

**2 Days Later. **

Both Tony and Chester had been ordered back to Fort Bragg after Yeltsin left. Colleton had decided that Chester could stay until Meg woke up, if she woke up. Chester had remained at her bedside for 2 days, never letting go of her hand. He hadn't slept either. He was just starting to daze off, when something woke him out of his daze. He felt his hand being squeezed. He looked up and saw Meg slowly opening her eyes. "Meg" he said in a low voice, tears flowing down his cheek.

"Chester" she said in a low, raspy voice. "Tell me again how we'll grow old together" she said, smiling.

**A/N- in case you were wondering, it believed that even if someone is in a coma, that they can hear what goes on a round them. **

**- Also, I'd like to give a special thank you to ****angelscatie**** and ****DS2010**** for all of their wonderful reviews. Thank you guys so much, it's nice to know that your work is actually appreciated. Thank you**__


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: The Prisoner (Season 1, Episode 20)**

2200 hours local time, 3 April 1996, Cell block B, Chengdu Military Prison, Chengdu, The People's Republic of China.

"Answer me Commander Rabb, if China reclaims Taiwan, will the U.S intervene?" asked Colonel Jing, Commandant of Chengdu Military Prison. When Harm remained silent, Jing slapped him across the face. "Answer me Commander" he demanded.

"Fuck You" replied Harm as he spit blood on the Colonel's Uniform. But the Colonel only smiled. He squatted down next to harm and pulled him back by his hair.

"Why do you resist?" asked Jing. "Your own people believe you are dead, and even if they didn't, they will never find you here" laughed Jing.

1000 hours, 3 April 1996, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Both Tony and Malachi were sitting in the T.O.C, waiting for Colonel Colleton to arrive. "So Mal, how's your Cousin, um what's her name" he paused snapping his fingers "Um Liat, that's it. How's she doing, I heard that she turned 13 and got roped into Mossad Training" said Tony.

"Yes, unfortunately she has been drawn into The Mossad by The New Deputy Director, Eli David" said Malachi.

"You wanna add him to the kill list? Come on, Mikey Rivkin is gonna need some company?" said Tony.

"Believe me, there is nothing I would enjoy more than adding Eli David to The Unit's Kill list, but he is a deputy director now, killing him is too high profile" said Malachi with a frown on his face.

"So, anyway, how is Liat?" asked Tony, trying to change the subject.

"She's ok, believe it or not she still thinks YOU are the greatest basketball player of all-time" said Malachi, laughing.

"Really? I thought every basketball fan in Israel hated my guts, ever since the 88' Gold Medal Game" said Tony with a smile.

"Liat and me were watching that game on TV. She was 5 years old, and loved every second of it. Because of you, she wanted to be a professional basketball player; she even has your number '1' tattooed on her ankle. Unfortunately, her dreams were crushed when Eli David" Malachi spit the man's name out with disgust "When Eli David had other plans" said Malachi. Their conversation was abruptly interrupted when Colleton stormed into the room.

"Got some bad news boys" he said. "Our good friend, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. has been abducted by Chinese Military Intelligence" Colleton informed them. "He's being held in Chengdu Military Prison".

"And we're gonna go get him out?" asked Tony, in a somewhat are sarcastic manor.

"Yes you are" said Colleton. "Your both gonna be on a Learjet for Hong Kong in an hour. Once there you'll meet up with an NCIS Agent" he paused to check his notes "Gibbs". Hearing that, Tony's mind went into flashback mode.

_Tony quickly grabbed his first aid kit from his pack and ran over to the fallen Marine. Sliding onto his knees, he grabbed the Marine's hand. 'Ok buddy, calm down, I got you" he said, as the Marine passed out. "God dammit, stay with me Marine. He grabbed the Marine's dog tags and read them. "Stay with me Gunny. Stay with me Gunnery Sergeant Gibbs" he yelled. He packed and wrapped the wound in the Gunnery Sergeant's Thigh. "OK, Gunny, let's get you the hell outta here" he said. He put the first aid kit back into his pack, and picked up the Gunnery Sergeant into a Fireman's carry, as Tony began his long trek across the desert. _

"As in Gunnery Sergeant Leroy Jeathro Gibbs, Scout Sniper, Marine Force Recon?" asked Tony. Colleton looked down at Agent Gibbs' file.

"Yes, how did you know that?" asked Colleton.

_As he continued to walk, he heard a jet off in the distance. Suddenly, a flight of 4 F-16 Fighting Falcons swooped overhead. Tony looked up and smiled. He continued throughout the day, as the hot beat down on him. By mid day, the temperature had reached well in excess of 100 degrees. DiNozzo was drenched from head to toe in sweat. "You Know Leroy, your awfully quite back there" he said to the unconscious Gibbs. "Oh that's right, you're out cold" he said laughing. "So Leroy, you have any family? Wife? Kids?" he asked, knowing full well Gibbs wasn't going to answer. "Well Gunnery Sergeant, if you aren't going to answer me, then I'm just going to keep on talking" he said. Over the coarse of the next 6 hours, Tony went on to tell gives his entire life story_

"I once dragged his unconscious Marine green ass 50 miles through the Iraqi Desert" said Tony smiling.

"When you won the Medal?" asked Colleton.

"Yes Sir"

"Excellent. The plan is For you and Mal to infiltrate the prison, and break Harm out, while Agent Gibbs provides Sniper Fire. Any questions?" he asked.

"How we gonna get out?" asked Tony. Colleton laughed.

"This part your gonna love Tony. You ever see The James Bond Film, 'Thunderball'?" Tom asked. Tony's eyes opened wide.

"Jet Packs?" Tony bursted out. Colleton shook his head.

"No Tony, no Jet Packs" said Colleton.

"Stupid" Tony muttered.

"Anyway" continued Colleton "I have a buddy of at Langley, who is gonna give us a hand with this. Back in the 70s, The CIA had a program called 'Sky Hook' used for getting their agents back on planes without the planes having to land" said Colleton. Tony smiled his 1000-watt grin.

**18 hours later**

Tony and Malachi had taken the Learjet to Manila, where they transferred to a Sea plane for the final leg to Hong Kong. It was 1600 hours local time when they arrived. The Sea Plane landed at a jetty and when Malachi and Tony stepped out of the plane, they were greeted by a man in a Hawaiian shirt. The man stepped forward and said "Hi, I'm Special Agent Leroy"

"Jeathro Gibbs" finished Tony, then after seeing the look on Gibbs' face, he asked "How's it going Gunny? How long has it been, 5 years?"

"Have we met before?" asked Gibbs, confused.

"Well… you were kind of unconscious the whole time, but yeah, we met about 5 years ago, just outside the village of Tifka" said Tony. Then he saw Gibbs' eyes dilate. "Yeah" Tony said "I had to carry you fat jarhead ass 50 miles across the desert" said Tony, smiling.

"That was you" said.

"Yes, it was me" said Tony smiling.

**36 hours later**

NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jeathro Gibbs took careful aim through the scope of his M-40 Sniper Rifle. He took in a deep breath and held it as he pulled the trigger. The 1st shot hit its mark at the 1st Chinese Guard dropped. Gibbs quickly worked the bolt and chambered the next round. Within 30 seconds he had squeezed off 4 rounds, each one hitting its mark. With the 4 guards down, Gibbs stood up and ran down the hillside to a waiting truck, which was being driven by Tony. "We good?" Tony asked as Gibbs jumped into the truck.

"4 Shots, 4 kills" said Gibbs, proudly. Tony nodded and put the truck into gear. He mashed the gas pedal as the truck rammed the main gate. As soon as they were through, the alarm started blaring.

"Mal, Gibbs, cover and suppressing fire. I'm going to find Harm" yelled Tony. Tony grabbed his AK and jumped out of the truck. Gibbs and Malachi did the same. They took cover behind the wheels of the trucked, periodically popping out and firing at the oncoming guards. Tony kicked open a door and made his way down the staircase. "Cell block B, cell block B" he said to himself as he searched the various corridors for Harm's cell block. As he rounded a corner, he came upon 2 unsuspecting guards. Tony fired 2 quick bursts, dropping them. "HARM!" he yelled out. "HARM, where the hell you at?" he yelled.

Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. woke suddenly in his cell as he heard his name being called. He heard it again. "HARM, where the hell you at?" yelled a familiar voice. It was DiNozzo.

"Tony!" he yelled back.

"Rabb, keep talking Brotha! I'm on my way" Tony yelled back.

After hearing Harm's voice, Tony quickly followed his voice straight to his cell. "Harm?" yelled Tony.

"Tony?" Harm yelled back.

"Stand back Brotha" yelled Tony as he kicked the door in. he found Harm, badly beaten up, lying on the floor. He slung his AK over his shoulder and bent down to pick up Harm. "Hang on buddy, we're gonna get ya home" he said. He picked up Harm and Harm pull his arm over Tony's shoulder.

"Where's your backup?" asked Harm.

"Malachi and Gibbs are outside"

"Who's Gibbs?" asked Harm.

"NCIS Agent, Former Force Recon" said Tony.

"Where's Ironman?" asked Harm.

2015 hours, Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C. Sergeant 1st Class Chester Martin and _Former _Lieutenant JG Megan Austin walked hand-in-hand along the Great Mall. 2 weeks prior, she had been released from the hospital, into Chester's care. 1 week ago, Meg handed Admiral Chegwidden her marching orders, she officially resigned her commission in The United States Navy.

When Chester and Meg reached the base of The Lincoln Memorial Chester stopped and spun Meg around so that they were standing face to face. He gave her a smile and leaned in and gave her a kiss. When he broke the kiss, he took both her hands in his. "Meggy, from the 1st Day I laid eyes on you I knew that you were the one. Even though I was an enlisted man and you were an officer. And when you were in the Hospital, I prayed to God everyday that you would make it, because the thought of living without you was unbearable to me. Meggy, you are the one, the one I want to spend the rest of my life with, the one I want to have children with and the one I want to grow old with. Meg, I love you with all my heart" he paused with a tear in his eyes. "I know that what I do isn't the most glamorous, or best paying, and I won't be able to give you the life you've always dreamed. I Love You Meg and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" he said, as he dropped to one knee. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a small velvet box. Opening it, he revealed a gold band, with a beautiful diamond on it. He took a deep breath and said "Megan Austin, will you do me the Honor and the privilege? Will You Marry Me?"

"Oh Chester" she said in her sweet voice. She was nodding as she said "Yes. Yes, Yes, Yes" she said, her voice turning to a squeal as she jumped for joy when Chester slid the ring onto her finger. He stood up and captured her lips with his own. Bending her over backwards, just like the first kiss they had shared, 6 months earlier.

_ Then Chester, who had finished patching up Tony shoulder walked up to Lieutenant Austin "Staff Sergeant Chester Martin". As he said this he leaned in and bent Meg over backwards a she gave her a very passionate kiss. Harm's jaw dropped, and Both Tony and Malachi started hysterically laughing. _

With Harm leaning on his shoulder, Captain DiNozzo slowly made his way back to the main compound. By the time he reached it, Gibbs and Malachi had cleared the yard. "Malachi, send it up" ordered Tony. Malachi jumped into the back of their truck and pulled the pin on the line. Up into the air went a small balloon with flashing lights. "This better work" said Tony to no one in particular. They all connected their harnesses to the line. A minute later, they here a buzzing overhead. A C-141 Starlifter with a special metal prong attached to its nose flew straight into the balloon. With the cord locked in, Harm, Gibbs, Malachi and finally Tony well pulled away from the ground into the night. "YEEEEEEEHAWWWWW!" Tony screamed as they flew through the air.

**6 months later- October 11****th****, 1996- Exactly on year to the day since Chester and Meg 1****st**** met. **

1047 hours, Unit Chapel, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Sergeant 1st Class Chester C. Martin, dressed in his full Class-A uniform, stood arm-in-arm with his bride, _Mrs. Megan Martin_, who was dressed in her beautiful white wedding gown. The 6 man "line up" had formed just outside the chapel door. On one side stood Captain Jack Bauer, Staff Sergeant Jason King and Staff Sergeant Barry Hopper. The other side stood Lieutenant Commander Rabb, Senior Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon, and finally, Chester's Best Man, Captain Anthony DiNozzo. "Detail…Attention!" Tony yelled. They 6 men snapped to attention, their right hands on their swords. "Delta… and Harm" he yelled, trying to hold back a smile. "Draw…. Swords" he yelled. The 6 men drew their swords and brought them up against their respective chests. "Arch…Swords" ordered Tony as the 6 Men put up their swords to form and arch above them. "Blades to the wind" he finished. Chester and Meg began walking under the arch as Tony yelled out "Presenting, for the 1st time in public, Sergeant 1st Class and Mrs. Chester C. Martin". Chester and Meg proceeded down through the arch. When they passed in front of Tony, Tony lowered his sword and used it to give Meg a slight smack on the ass as he yelled "Go Army!" Both Meg and Chester could only smile.

**A/N- Ok, so in a formal military wedding, the "line UP" would be all enlisted for Chester's Wedding, but in the Delta Force, the lines are often blurred between Officer and Enlisted. And besides, this is my story, and I can do what I want. **

**Also, I know that the wedding seen was very short, but in the future, I have planed to devote an entire chapter to a wedding. I won't tell you when, or who will be getting married, but all of you are free to guess. **

**Also, I know that my description of Alpha Team's exit from the prison wasn't very good, so if you wanna see it for real, I suggest watching either The Dark Knight, or Thunderball. **

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW!**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N- Previously, on "28 Seconds"-**

_"Presenting, for the 1__st__ time in public, Sergeant 1__st__ Class and Mrs. Chester C. Martin". Chester and Meg proceeded down through the arch. When they passed in front of Tony, Tony lowered his sword and used it to give Meg a slight smack on the ass as he yelled "Go Army!" Both Meg and Chester could only smile. _

**A/N- CAUTION! VIEWER DESCRESTION IS STRONGLY ADVISED**

**Chapter 19**

**Enemy of My Enemy**

1315 hours local time, 7 January 1997, O'Shaunnessey's Pub, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tony and Chester, dressed in civvies, entered the pub. They slowly walked past the bar and sat down in a booth at the back of the room. On other side of the booth, sat a man, the very man they came to see. "A who might you lads be?" he asked in a very heavy Irish accent.

"Captain Black, US Special Forces" said Tony.

"Sergeant White" said Chester. The man laughed.

"Delta Force, no doubt" said the man. Both Tony and Chester remained silent. "Ok then, you two lads can refer to me as 'Trinity'" he said with a big Irish grin.

Tony raised his eyebrow and said "'Trinity', as in Sheamus McKevitt, Deputy Commander of The IRA?"

"Perhaps" said McKevitt. "So, what brings 2 fine gentlemen such as yourselves to Belfast?" asked McKevitt.

"This man" said Tony, pulling a photo from his breast pocket. He placed it on the table and slid it over to McKevitt. McKevitt picked up the photo gave it the once over.

"Ah, you'd be looking for my opposite number in the unionists, Mr. Crispian Paddington" said McKevitt. "Why might that be?" he asked.

"2 days ago, this man kidnapped the 6-year old daughter of The US Consul General here in Belfast" said Tony.

"And why would this man do such a thing?" asked McKevitt.

"Because, the Consul General is Catholic" said Tony as he pulled his crucifix out from under his shirt. Chester made the sign of the cross with his hand.

"So this Unionist piece of shit, decided to take an innocent little girl from her mother, just because she believes in the supreme pontiff?" asked McKevitt. Tony nodded. "Why come to me with this, there are dozens of others who would just assume help you, why me? I am simply the enemy of your enemy" said McKevitt.

"And thus, I call you friend" said Tony, as he extended his hand. McKevitt shook it.

"And so you want me to do your 'dirty work' as you Americans put it" asked McKevitt.

"No, we want information on where we can find Paddington, then we will kill him, and rescue that little girl. When we are done, your can drag his body through the streets if you wish" said Tony.

"Is this personal for you Captain?" asked McKevitt. "You seem more focused on this man than the girl" observed McKevitt.

"Just tell me where I can find him, and leave the rest to me and my colleague" said Tony.

"Very well, I find make inquiries, and contact you if and when I find something" said McKevitt. "Meet me here tomorrow, same time" said McKevitt. Tony nodded. He and Chester stood up and walked away. They left the pub and continued down the street.

When they got about a ½ mile away, Chester finally broke the silence between them. "Top, this is personal for you isn't it" he said. Tony remained silent. "Who's Crispian Paddington?" he asked. Tony took a deep breath before answering.

"Crispian Paddington is my cousin. My Mother's maiden name was Paddington; she died when I was 8. When my mother married my dad, her family disowned her, because she married a Catholic" he said. "My whole life, I have been stuck between both sides of my piece of shit family. The Paddingtons are rich snobs, who stare down their noses at me because I was raised Catholic. And my dad is an asshole who beat me as a child, at least, until I learned to fight back" said Tony.

"And then you met Kate, and so on and so on" said Chester

"Yeah" replied Tony.

"Ya know Top, I've been meaning to ask you, how the hell did you support your family before you joined the Army?" asked Chester.

"When my father disowned me, after Kate got pregnant and I married her, both me and Kate had ourselves emancipated, which gave me access to a savings account my mother started for me. That was enough to see us through high school. The, when I got a full ride to OSU, the college account my mother had setup for me was no longer needed. So we used that to support ourselves through college" said Tony.

"That's impressive" said Chester.

**24 Hours later.**

1425 hours, 8 January 1997, Downtown Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tony, Chester, Commander McKevitt and one of his bodyguards stood on the 7th floor of a bombed-out apartment building in downtown Belfast. "There" said McKevitt, pointing to an abandoned school about a quarter-mile away. "There is where you will find what you seek" said McKevitt.

"Thank you" said Tony. "But I must ask another favor" said Tony.

"And that is?" inquired McKevitt.

"I need a truck, access to a garage and welding equipment" said Tony.

McKevitt nodded his head and stated "This can be arranged"

"Good" replied Tony, as the 2 men shook hands.

0330 hours, 9 January 1997, IRA Safehouse, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Tony and Chester had worked through the night welding together a plow that they could use to ram through the gate of Crispin's HQ. They were in the middle of welding the plow to the front of their ½ ton truck when Commander McKevitt and several of his men burst into the garage, dragging a man with them. McKevitt's man dropped the man they were dragging on the floor as McKevitt said "This man… this man had sold you out to Paddington, he knows you are coming. He will have doubled his security, you cannot go" warned McKevitt.

"It doesn't matter, I came here to kill Crispian Paddington, and that's what I intend to do" said Tony. McKevitt motioned for his men to pick the man up off the floor. McKevitt walked over to the man and grabbed his chin. He yelled "Look in to the eyes of the man you have betrayed to our enemies". Tony and the man stared at each other.

"Oliver" said Tony, with a small hint of shock in his voice.

"You know of this man?" asked McKevitt.

"His name is Oliver Paddington, Crispian's younger brother" said Tony.

"So, the son of the family whore has returned" said Oliver, laughing. Tony pulled his 45. ACP from his shoulder holster, flicking off the safety and cocking it, all in one motion. He took a quick one second aim before pulling the trigger. The bullet put a hole, right in Oliver's forehead. His body went limp and fell to the ground. Tony lowered his weapon and placed it back into his holster. McKevitt only nods in approval.

"You seem to have known this man well" observed McKevitt.

"I told you who he was" snapped Tony.

"But not who he is to you" counter McKevitt.

"A dead man" replied Tony, leaving it at that.

**3 Hours Later**

"Ready?" Tony asked. Chester looks him right in the eyes and nods. With that, Tony throws the truck into gear and slams down the accelerator. The ½ ton roars down the empty Belfast street. It is 0630 and the sun is just beginning to peak over the horizon. They both lock and load their M4s. They approach the gate to Paddington's compound. They guards in front of the gate begin to scramble and shout as they approach. The truck smashes right through the wooden gate, as the truck takes AK-47 and G3 fire from all sides. The truck comes to a halt as Tony and Chester jump out. The both quickly identify and drop targets. Both of them are on their toes as they quickly scan the area. Quickly, they both see an on rush of guards flooding out of the main building and from the gate. They stand back to back, shoulder to shoulder as they fire quick 2 and 3 round bursts.

Chester ran out 1st. "Reloading" he yells as he ducks behind Tony, ejecting his clip and inserting a new one. Tony covers him while he does it. He pulled a grenade from his belt, and pulled the pin, chucking it towards the gate. Seeing this, Chester does the same, only throwing his towards the building. When they both go off, the suddenly both realize that no one else was coming towards them. Breathing heavily and with adrenaline pumping through his veins, Tony said "Ok, Ironman, find the girl, I'm gonna go pay my cousin a little visit".

"Copy that Top" said Chester as he got up off his knee and ran off to one off the side buildings.

Chester made his way into one of the smaller side buildings. He didn't know why, but something was telling him that this building was where the little girl was located. He slowly made his ay through the building, checking room after room. He turned down a hallway, and encountered 2 men standing out side a room. He quickly snapped his M4 to his shoulder and fired 2 quick bursts into each of their chests. Taking a deep breath, he slung his M4 over his shoulder, and drew his M9 from his holster. He slowly approached the door to the room the 2 men had been guarding. Gripping the doorknob, he threw the door open. Inside he found a little girl, who looked to be about 6 years of age. She was crying and covering her ears, most likely because of the gun fire. he holstered his pistol and approached the little girl. He squatted down in front of her and tried to calm her down. "Hey, hey" he whispered "Hey, its ok, I'm here to help" he said smiling.

"I…want…mommy" she cried out.

"I know sweetheart, I know" he said as he picked her up, hugging her. "What's your name sweetheart?" he asked.

"Serena" she whispered.

"Well Serena, that is a very pretty name" he replied.

"What's your name?" Serena asked him

"My Name is Ironman" he replied.

"That's a silly name" she replied, giggling, which in turn made Chester smile.

"Well" he said "It's not my real name, Ironman is my callsign" he said.

"What's that?" she asked.

"It's what people call me, like a nickname of sorts" he explained.

"What's your real name?" she asked. Chester thought about it for a minute.

"Chester" he said.

After watching Chester sprint off to find the girl, Tony placed his rifle down on the driver's seat of the truck. Drawing both his 45. ACP from his shoulder holster and his M9 from his hip, he slowly approached the main building. He slowly moved through the front lobby when 2 men jumped out, holding G3 rifles. Tony quickly fired 5 shots, 2 from the 45. and 3 from the M9. the 2 men dropped dead. Tony made his way down the hallway to the stairs at the end of it. He fired 2 more shots, dropping another man on the stairs. When he reached the top step, he grabbed a grenade from his belt. He pulled the pin and tossed it in. the grenade went off, killing 4. Tony entered the upstairs and saw a man trying to crawl away. He walked up to the man, and stepped on the base of his spine. The man cried out in pain. Tony killed him in the side, forcing to roll over onto his back. The man's face went from pain to horror. "No, Tony please, we are family" pleaded Crispian. Tony's hand slipped into his pocket as the pulled out a pair of brass knuckles and slipped him onto his right hand.

"We Are NOT Family" said Tony as he jumped down on Crispian's chest. He unloaded with blow after blow with his brass-knuckle reinforced right fist. After the 11th or 12th blow, Crispian's skull finally gave way. Crispian's blood splattered Tony's face. He had literally beaten Crispian to death. Tony fell backwards onto his back.

Chester walked back towards the truck just as Tony was walking out of the main building, Tony's face and Torso were covered with blood, which Chester could tell did not belong to him. he quickly shielded Serena's eyes with his hand. Chester placed Serena into the passenger's seat of their truck and walked over to Tony. As he did, Commander McKevitt and his men stormed the compound.

"Very impressive lads" said McKevitt. Several of McKevitt's men stormed the main building. A minute latter they exited, dragging Crispian's body. McKevitt walked over a viewed the beaten body, especially the caved in skull.

"Take the girl back to her mother Sergeant" ordered Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied Chester as he jumped into the truck. As Chester pulled away, McKevitt walked over to Tony.

"This partnership turned out quite well for the both us, wouldn't you say" said McKevitt

"It would appear so" replied Tony.

"I look forward to working with you again in the future, should our paths cross again" said McKevitt.

"And what's to stop me from shooting you right now?" asked Tony.

"I could ask you the same thing" said McKevitt. They both smiled.

"Ya know something, you ain't such a bad guy, Commander McKevitt" said Tony, extending his hand.

McKevitt shook Tony's hand as he said. "Neither are you….. Captain DiNozzo". Tony shook his head and laughed.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: Washington Holiday- (Season 2, Episode 9)**

**A/N- And now, the next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

0930 hours, 11 February 1997, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Tony, Chester and Malachi sat down in their seats, as Colonel Colleton was already their waiting for them. "What's up Colonel?" asked Tony.

Colleton looked up from his desk, closing a file he was reading. _"You speak Romanian, correct, Captain DiNozzo?" _asked Colleton in his fluent, yet badly accent Romanian.

_"Yes Colonel, I speak Romanian fluently, and with a proper accent" _answered DiNozzo, also in Romanian, but his accent was perfect. Both Chester and Malachi watched this transpire, don't understanding a single word.

"Excellent" said Colleton, switching back to English. "Yesterday morning at 1035 local time, there was an assassination attempt on Princess Alexi of Romania, while she was visiting NATO Headquarters in Brussels. The Princess and her father, King Josef, are now headed to D.C, where it is hoped that King Josef will announce his Country's entrance into N.A.T.O" explained Colleton.

"And they want us to keep the 2 of them safe while they are in D.C?" asked Chester.

"Precisely" said Colleton.

"Do we know who's behind the assassination attempt?" asked Malachi.

"Most likely the Communist Hardliners that still remain in The Romanian Government" suggested Tony.

"Actually, my opposite number in The RSS, Romanian Secret Service, Colonel Pavlov, already has a suspect" said Colleton. "King Josef's Foreign Minister, Minister Max Keppish" said Colleton.

"And no doubt, you want me to go undercover to investigate him, which is why you made sure I speak Romanian" said Tony.

"That's right" said Colleton.

"What about Mal and The Kid?" asked Tony.

"While you're undercover at The Romanian Consulate, Blue Star and Ironman will be shadowing Princess Alexi and her escort" said Colleton, as he slid a photo of the Princess over to Tony. He looked at it. Princess Alexi was about 5'4, 5'5, brunette, blue eyes, and an extremely sexy figure.

"Who's the escort?" asked Chester.

"Lieutenant Commander Harmon… Rabb… Jr." said Colleton.

"Figures, take a look" said Tony as he handed the photo to Malachi. Chester went for it, but Malachi grabbed it first.

"Your married" said Malachi, to Chester.

"Damn" was all Malachi could manage, causing both Colonel Colleton and Tony to laugh.

"Actually, Harm didn't volunteer, he was assigned" corrected Colleton.

"This had Clayton Webb and The Central Incompetence Agency written all over it. Tell mew I'm wrong" dared Tony.

"Wish I could" replied Colleton.

1109 hours, Saturday, 13 February 1997, Bridge of The U.S.S America, Washington Navy Yard. The America was in port to undergo refitting, which meant she was practically deserted. Clayton Webb had ordered Commander Rabb to give Princess Alexi a tour of The U.S.S America and The Navy Yard, which meant that Malachi and Chester got to spend the day there too. With Chester on the ship with them, Malachi observes from a nearby roof top.

"So Ironman how's life in the Navy?" asked Malachi, jokingly.

"_Ha, is funny because I am on ship, but am not in Navy_" replied Chester in an intentionally crappy Russian accent. Malachi could only laugh. \

"Anything suspicious, anybody seem outta place down there?" asked Malachi.

_"Na, everything is normal. Harm seems to know his way around the ship though"_ replied Chester.

"He was an aviator, he had at least one deployment on a carrier that I know of" replied Malachi.

_"Blue Star, looks like the flyboy is rapping up his tour, what's the next stop on the list?"_ asked Chester.

"Back to The Embassy" replied Malachi.

Tony, Clayton Webb, and Colonel Pavlov sat in King Josef's office at The Romanian Embassy. "Captain DiNozzo, my Head of Security, Colonel Pavlov, speaks very highly of you" said King Josef in his accented English.

Tony stood and bowed before The King. _"Thank you kindly, your Excellency" _said in his perfectly accented Romanian.

_"And he speaks the language!" _exclaimed The King in his native tongue. "_Tell me Captain, are you married?" _ He asked.

"_Yes, your Excellency, I am. My wife Kate and I have 1 son, Anthony Dominick DiNozzo III, whom we call 'Three'_" replied Tony.

"_Tis a shame, a man as young and fit as you. You would make a wonderful son-in-law"_ smiled King Josef. Tony winced when he said in-law. Tony tried to hide it, but The King caught on. _"Captain, why does the word, 'in-laws' bring such pain to you?" _asked The King.

"_Both me and my wife were disowned by our respective families when we got married" _explained Tony. The King's expression turned to one of confusion. _"My wife and I met when we were both 14, as freshman in High School. When we were 16, Kate got pregnant. Both me and her were raised Catholic, and decided to get married. My son Three was born on May 17__th__, 1983. Neither my wife's' parents or mine have ever met our son. And if I have it my way, they never will"_ explained Tony.

"Tell me Captain, what does your son do for family then, surely he has more than just his mother and father" asked Josef, switching the conversation to English.

"My CO is the closet thing he has to a Grandfather, and my 2 best friends and teammates, Sergeants Ben-Gidon and Martin are his uncles and Sergeant Martin's wife, Meg, is his aunt. Oh and of course, Commander Rabb is his uncle too" Tony smiled, which King Josef returned.

"Tell me Captain, how long have you been in The Delta Force?" asked The King.

"Almost 7 years" he replied.

"Iraq?" asked Josef.

_ The scientist stopped in front of the window and looked out. As he did this, Sergeant Kearns started to take aim with his M9. Seeing this, DiNozzo motioned with his hand for the Sergeant to lower his weapon. I maybe a newbie, he thought, but if Billy misses, the bullet will break the glass and the guards below might hear us. Then we're really fucked. DiNozzo holstered his M9, and slide his M-16 off his shoulder, and placed it one the ground next to him. As DiNozzo crept back into the hallway, he drew his Bayonet, which was strapped to his thigh. Come on DiNozzo, you can do this. This bastard sold out his country for money. The weapons he's making can kill thousands of innocents. Those weapons could kill Kate and Three. After think that, it was all the motivation he needed. He quickly crept up behind the scientist. He slapped his hand over the guy's mouth and pulled his head back, as he drove the bayonet into the target's throat, he dragged it across his jugular, slicing his vocal cords and severing his carotid artery. When Tony finally released his hand, the target's body dropped to the floor into a pool of blood._

"Yes Sir" Tony replied.

"Somalia?" asked The King. Memories began flying through Tony's head at

"_Command, This Alpha-01, request permission to secure Super Six-Four Crash sight over" said Tony into his radio_.

"_Command this is Super Six-Six, I've been hit, and I'm going down. Repeat going"_

_ "Gary, Randy, this is Alpha-01 over" yelled Tony. No Reply. The Hearts of the all the Delta Force Operators and Agents sank._

_Tony looked over at Malachi and yelled "Mal, I need an IR Beacon, post ricki-tick". Malachi reached into a pouch that was strapped to his left thigh and pulled out the beacon. Then he tossed it to Tony. Tony turned on the beacon. Aiming for a roof top across the street, he threw it. The beacon was just short as it hit the wall and fell to the street below. "God Dammit" yelled Tony. Tony looked up and down the street and up at the roof top above. He un-slung his M-16 and laid it down against the wall. Malachi watched as this transpired and knew what Tony was planning. _

_ "Don't even think about it Tony!" yelled Malachi_

_ "Too late" yelled Tony as he darted across the war-torn street._

_ "Oh shit. Covering Fire!" yelled Malachi. The Rangers who could here him, including Sergeant Martin, turned the fire to the roof top above Tony. Tony had made it across the street and he retrieved the beacon from the pile of rubble and tossed it up onto the roof top. Then his radio cracked in his ear_

_ "Alpha-01, we have IR Beacon spotted, beginning gun run" said the little bird pilot. The Little Birds swooped in and hovered right over Tony's position. The Little Birds' M-242 Chain Guns spun up and started spewing out death at 5,000 rounds per minute. The scolding hot brass from the guns fell to the ground below, right on top of Tony._

_ "AHHHHH!" he screamed as the hot metal burned his flesh. "Son of A Bitch" he screamed. After what seemed like an eternity for Tony, but was in reality only 2 minutes, The Little Birds pulled away. Tony stood there stunned for a few seconds, before he snapped out of his daze and darted back across the street. When he got there, he found Malachi and Sergeant Martin waiting for him. _

_ "Permission to speak freely Sir" said Martin. _

_ "What?" asked Tony, nearly out of breath._

_ "Your fucking crazy sir" said Martin with a smile on his face._

_ Tony smiled and said "Damn Right"_

"Yes Sir" replied Tony, with a tear in his eye.

1930 hours, Sunday, 14 February 1997, N.A.T.O Ball, Kennedy Center, Washington D.C. Despite the N.A.T.O Ball being a formal Military function, the men of Alpha Team were dressed in tuxedos. Chester and Malachi had been sent ahead of King Josef, Princes Alexi and Tony. They surveyed the room. Colonel Colleton, who unlike his men was in Class A Dress Uniform, Meg Martin and Kate DiNozzo were all present. Chester and Tony were initially against their wives being brought in, but, Colonel Colleton raised a good point when he said that the more eyes the better. Meg wore a stunning, green, spaghetti strapped, floor length dress, while Kate wore a strapless black dress that came down to her calves. Around the room were other familiar faces. Both Lieutenant Commander Rabb, and Lieutenant JG Bud Roberts were in their Navy Dress Whites, there escorts, Major Sarah Mackenzie and Ensign Harriett Simms, wore dresses.

Chester and Malachi's radios cracked _"Blue Star, Ironman, this is Movie Buff, precious cargo has arrived repeat, precious cargo has arrive'_" said Tony.

"Copy that, Movie Buff" said Malachi, into his wrist radio.

When King Josef's limo pulled up, Colonel Pavlov and Tony were the 1st ones out, followed by Clayton Webb. Once the area was deemed safe, King Josef and Princess Alexi exited the limo and they all proceeded inside. As they proceeded to the main ball room, Tony eyes scrambled around the room. He did a double take when he saw something on one of the upper balconies. Then, he saw it, a gun barrel poking through the curtain. "Gun" he yelled as he drew his 45. ACP from his shoulder holster. He fired 8 shots into the curtain. A man fell through the curtain, an AUG Assault Rifle in his hand. His body collapsed to the ground he was dead.

Then Tony caught sight of something in his peripheral vision. It was Foreign Minister Keppish charging towards the Princess, his hand clutching something as he raised his arm. "Die Capitalist Whore" he yelled

. With his clip empty and not time to reload, Tony did the only thing he could do. Tony dove straight in front of The Princess, using his body to shield hers. "NOOOOOOOOOOO!" he screamed. Keppish fried 6 shots from his Tokarev pistol, 3 of them hit Tony. The 1st 2 hit him in his right side, but the 3rd, struck him near the heart.

Reacting quickly, Colonel Pavlov, Webb, Chester, Colonel Colleton and Malachi all drew their sidearms and filled Keppish's torso with lead. His body dropped to the ground, dead.

Colonel Pavlov, Webb and King Josef went immediately to check on Princess Alexi who was unharmed. Kate came darting across the room.

"TONY!" she screamed. Malachi and Chester joined her as they slid to the ground to check on Tony. They rolled him over onto his back and saw that his chest wound was gushing blood.

"Hang on Top, stay with us" said Chester as he applied pressure to Tony's wound.

"Kate" said Tony as the blood pooled in his mouth. He raised up his hand, silently begging her to take it. Kate grabbed her beloved Husband's hand as she began bursting with tears.

"Tony Please, you can't leave me, I need you" she managed to get out, through the sobs. Tony tried to squeeze Kate's hand to reassure her, but found that he didn't have the strength to.

"Top! Top! Dammit Tony, stay with me" was all Tony heard as everything around him went black.

** TO BE CONTINUED**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW**


	21. Chapter 21

**Previously on "28 Seconds"- **

_"Top! Top! Dammit Tony, stay with me" was all Tony heard as everything around him went black. _

**The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: Code Blue (Season 2, Episode 13)**

1130 Hours, 5 May 1997, 30,000 feet above Virginia. Tony groaned in pain as he shifted in his seat. It was only 3 months prior that Tony had been shot just millimeters from his heart. He had spent 2 months in the hospital, and another month on bed rest. Finally, Colonel Colleton allowed him to return to duty, but only to run Operations from the T.O.C. In recognition for saving his daughter's life, King Josef had authorized the awarding of The Cross of Honor, Romania's highest military honor, to be awarded to Tony; he was to become the 1st non-Romanian to receive such an honor. Colonel Colleton felt so to, as Tony was awarded his 2nd Distinguished Service Cross, and another Purple Heart. King Josef and Princess Alexi had flown back to D.C on 4 May, in order to award Tony his Medal on the 5th. Alpha Team and Colleton were all on a plane to D.C in order to attend the ceremony, which would be held at The Romanian Embassy. Meg, Kate and Three had flown in the day before. They were due to land at Andrews in 15 minutes.

"Shut it Major" ordered Colleton. Tony smiles as he looked at his shoulder. The Morning Sun shone brightly, as it reflected off the Gold Oak leaves that now resided there. Tony could only smile.

"So Colonel, now that Tony is a Major, does that me we're getting a Team Leader?" asked Malachi.

"Fuck No!" said Tony, not giving Tom a chance to answer.

"Relax DiNozzo" ordered Colleton. "You'll still be Alpha Team's Leader, in addition to your other duties" said Colleton, grinning.

"Other duties?" questioned Tony.

"As a Husband to Kate and a Father to Three" said Colleton, which made Tony smile. "And as my XO" coughed out Colleton quickly.

"Your what?" asked Tony.

"As a Major, you will be The Executive Officer of The 1st Special Operation Detachment-Delta" explained Colleton.

"Do I get an office?" asked Tony.

"No" quickly replied Colleton. Everyone laughed. Their enjoyment was abruptly ended when Colleton's sate phone rang. "Marshlands" he said when he answered. He listened for a few minutes, and then replied "Copy that, Marshlands out". After he hung up the phone, he looked over at Chester and Malachi. "Change of plans, a Hamas terrorist cell has taken over Bethesda Naval Hospital. Blue Star, Ironman, your gear and chutes are in the storage compartment. Suit up, your going in" ordered Colleton.

"Yes Sir" they both said as they got up to change into their civvies. Tony went to get up when Colleton grabbed his wrist and forced him back down.

"Hold up Movie Buff, you still ain't cleared for field work. And besides, your due at The Romanian Embassy in 45 minutes to receive your medal from King Josef" he explained.

"Yes Sir" Tony sighed. He wanted to be back in the field so much. He hated deskwork. A few minutes later Malachi and Chester returned, dressed in jumpsuits over their civvies. They strapped on their parachutes, and grabbed their gear. As the Learjet passed over Bethesda, Colonel Colleton opened the door and Malachi and Chester moved towards IT.

Malachi stood with his back to the door. He yelled "Shalom!" as he stepped out. Chester laughed and assumed the position that Malachi had just vacated.

"But Colonel Hogan, I'm too big to parachute jump!" yelled Chester, quoting Sergeant Schultz from Hogan's Heroes. They all laughed as Chester waved and stepped out, Colleton shutting the door behind him. Tony only sighed and wished he was going with them.

"Calm down Major, you'll be back in the field soon enough" Colleton reassured him.

"Yes Sir" replied Tony, who was still upset.

"When we touch down at Andrews, Colonel Pavlov has arranged for a car to pick you up" Colleton informed him.

"What about you, Colonel?" he asked.

"I have business to attend to elsewhere" he said.

"Where?" questioned Tony.

"That does not concern you Major DiNozzo" said Colleton, slightly raising his voice.

"Yes Sir"

1200 hours, 5 May 1997, Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. With a grunt, Tony had forced himself to deplane. He walked down the stairs to the waiting SUV, a brown 1997 Jeep Cherokee. Colonel Anatoly Pavlov, King Josef's Head of Security and two of his RSS agents were waiting for him. Tony walked forward and greeted the 3 men, shaking hands with Colonel Pavlov. _"It is wonderful to see you again, Capt… Major DiNozzo" _said Colonel Pavlov in his native tongue.

"_Thank You Colonel, it is always a pleasure" _replied Tony in his flawless Romanian.

"_Come, come, your lovely Wife and Son await us"_ said Pavlov as he waived Tony towards to SUV.

1210 hours, 5 May 1997, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. Both Malachi and Chester were dressed in civvies as Navy Lieutenant Casamir DeJong; Head of Security at Bethesda briefed them. "What can you tell us Lieutenant?" asked Malachi.

"The Terrorists have taken over the 2nd and 3rd floors. Their leader has warned us that they have all elevator shafts and stairwells booby-trapped, and he has threatened to detonate them if we try anything" said The Lieutenant. "Who are you guys anyway?" he asked.

"Sergeant Black" said Malachi. Then pointing to Chester he said "Sergeant White, Special Forces".

"Right" said DeJong, hesitantly.

"Lieutenant, get me the schematics of the hospital" ordered Malachi.

"Excuse me, Sergeant" said DeJong, putting emphasis of the last word.

"Just get the fucking schematics" said Malachi, raising his voice as he put his hand on his holster. The look in Malachi's eye told the Lieutenant that he wasn't afraid to take the next step.

"Um, um, right" stuttered the Lieutenant as he hurried off. Chester laughed and walked over to Malachi.

"I think that Lieutenant will be having nightmares about that little exchange" said Chester smiling. Malachi laughed. The Lieutenant came rushing back holding a rolled up paper. He unrolled it on the table. Malachi leaned over the table with both hands

"What are you thinking my brother?" asked Chester. Malachi traced his pointer finger across the paper. "Air ducts?" he asked.

"No, they are too small. However, the laundry chute, just might work" said Malachi.

"Think you can squeeze your fat ass through?" asked Chester with a smile. Malachi responded with a simple 1-finger salute, making Chester laugh.

1230 hours, 5 May 1997, Romanian Embassy, Washington D.C. Kate DiNozzo, her son, Anthony Dominick "Three" DiNozzo III and Megan Martin all stood to the side, with huge smiles on their faces. In the center of the room, Major Anthony "Tony" Dominick DiNozzo Jr. stood stiffly at attention as King Josef I of Romania entered the room. The King was accompanied by his daughter, Princess Alexi, and Colonel Pavlov. The King came to a rest just in front of Tony. Tony bowed his head, as a sign of respect. After returning the gesture, The King began "_For his brave actions, on the night of 14 February 1997, for his valor and courage, in his protecting and saving of the life of my daughter, at the risk of his own, it is my great honor and privilege, to award The Romanian Cross of Honor, Our Nation's Highest Decoration for Valor, to Major Anthony Dominick DiNozzo, of The United States Army Delta Force". _He turned to Colonel Pavlov who handed him a velvet box. Opening it, The King removed the award. It was a Gold cross, with a silver backing, which was attached to a green and white silk ribbon. He placed the ribbon around Tony's neck and stepped back. Tony's hand snapped to the brim of his cap.

"Thank you your Highness, Sir" he said.

"No Major, it is I who should be thanking you" said The King as he extended his hand. Tony took it and shook it firmly.

1305 hours, 5 May 1997, 5th floor, Bethesda Naval Hospital, Bethesda, Maryland. Wit ha climbing harness safely secured around his waist, Malachi slowly mad his way down the laundry chute. It was actually much larger than he had anticipated. It was large enough, that it permitted him to strap a silenced Mac-10 to his back. He slowly made his way down the shaft. He stopped at the 3rd floor. Carefully, he pushed open the hatch and peered around. Satisfied that no one was there. He slid his body through, he first. Once he was through, he detached the rope from the harness, and gave it 4 tugs, the signal to retract the rope. He un-slung his Mac-10 from his back, and looked around. He knew that Chester was waiting, behind the door at the southwest corner of the floor. He slowly made his way down the hallway. As he crept into view of the door, he saw that there was a guard, a Middle Eastern man, holding an AK-47. He saw that here was 4 blocks of C4 plastic explosive on the door, which was wired up, ready to blow. He quickly turned the corner and fired a 4 round burst into the man's crest, dropping him to the floor. He quickly went over and disconnected the detonator from the blocks of C4. With the bombs disarmed, Malachi let out a small sigh of relief. As quietly as he could, Malachi opened the door, where he found Chester waiting. "Brother" said Malachi.

Then Chester froze. He saw to men, both holding AKs. "Look out" he yelled as he reached forward and threw Malachi to the ground. Chester drew his 45. ACP, which he hadn't had the chance to silence. He fired 4 shot, 2 into each of the 2 men's chests. The 2 men dropped dead. They both Chester and Malachi heard shouting.

"Oh, you've done it now" he said, gritting his teeth. "Spread out, take em' down, quick and fast" ordered Malachi. They both quickly cleared the 3rd floor, killing 5 more terrorists. But now they faced a serious problem. The entire 2nd floor was still rigged with explosives. The 2nd floor was also the location of the hospital's maternity ward. They quickly made there way down there stairwell to the 2nd floor. They quickly split up and proceeded to clear each room, eliminating 6 terrorists in the process. As they approached the final room they met back up. "Ready" asked Malachi as checked the magazine of his Mac-10.

"Ready" replied Chester as he put a fresh clip into his 45. They stood up and Chester kicked in the door.

"Drop it" they both yelled. Before them stood a man, the one who had been identified by Lieutenant DeJong as the leader of the Hamas cell. The man, held a visibly very much pregnant lady in one hand, with an Uzi submachine gun, which was jammed into the ladies neck.

"I kill her" he yelled repeatedly. Malachi looked into the man's eyes, and could tell that he meant it.

"God dammit" Malachi muttered as he lowered his weapon. Suddenly, there were 2 crashes through the room's window. 2 bullets struck the m an in the side of the head. Both Chester and Malachi dove for the deck

"Sniper!" Chester yelled. Then suddenly both Chester and Malachi's radios cracked.

"_Ironman, Blue Star, This is Movie Buff. Target terminated". _

**48 Hours later**

0730 hours local time, 8 May 1997, The West Bank, Palestine. A week earlier, the Israelis had launched a massive rocket attack on the West Bank, killing dozens. Colonel Colleton, dressed in civvies, and wearing Ray Ban sunglasses was sitting at a table in front of a café, drinking a cup of tea. The morning sun shown above him, as there were very few trees. Suddenly, the sun was blocked out, as a women, dressed in black from her robe to her vain sat down in front of him. _"Can I help you?" _he asked in Arabic.

_"Perhaps you can, Colonel Colleton" _the women said, which made Tom shift in his seat, and his hand dropped to his waistband, where his M9 was. _"Do not be alarmed dear Colonel, I have come to you for help. I work for Mossad; I have been for 5 years. I hate it so much. When I informed Deputy Director David I intended to resign he tried to have me killed" _she explained.

"_I see. Have you been followed?" _Tom asked,

"_No, they believe I was killed in the rocket attack last week, but that won't fool them for long. I need to get away from here" _she pleaded. "_I have much intelligence on Mossad that you might find very valuable" _

_ "Who are you?" _Colleton asked.

The women removed her vain. She had a beautiful olive-color skin, and she couldn't have been older than 18. Switching to her accented English, she said "David, Tali David" 


	22. Chapter 22

**A/N- I hope y'all liked The Story thus far. Btw, if anyone call tell where the character- Lieutenant Casamir DeJong- came from, I will personally recognize you in a later chapter. **

**Previously on "28 Seconds"**

"_David, Tali David"_

**And Now, the next exciting Installment of "28 Seconds"**

**Chapter 22**

**Dreams and Nightmares**

**4 Months Later**

0830 hours, Monday, 7 September 1997, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Colonel Colleton had order both Alpha and Bravo teams to assemble in The T.O.C at 0830 hours. He told them that he had a special surprise for them. So as ordered, as if they had a choice, Tony, Malachi, Chester, Captain Jack Bauer, Sergeant 1st Class Jason King, and Master Sergeant Barry Hopper were all assembled waiting for Colleton.

"So, what do y'all think The Colonel's little surprise is?" asked Chester. The second he said Y'all, they all turned and stared at him. 'What?" he asked.

"Did you just saw 'Y'all'?" asked Captain Bauer.

"My Wife is from Texas! It rubs off!" Chester protested, causing everyone to laugh. There fun ended when Colleton walked into the room.

"Come on Colonel, don't keep us waiting, what's this little surprise you got in store for us?" asked Tony.

"I'm glad you asked Major" said Colleton as he turned to the door. "Staff Sergeant Colleton, front and center" he ordered. A women, no, strike that, a girl, who couldn't have been older than 18, walked into the room. She had very dark hair, and she had olive colored skin. She was wearing Army fatigues and a black Army beret on her head. The Chevrons on her sleeves signified that she was a Staff Sergeant, and the name just above her right breast did, in fact read "Colleton".

_What the fuck _thought Tony.

"Tali" mumbled Malachi, although no one heard him. The Staff Sergeant walked up to in front on Tom Colleton, snapped to attention and saluted.

"Staff Sergeant Tali Colleton, reporting as ordered, Sir" she said.

"At ease, Staff Sergeant" ordered Colleton as he returned her salute. Then, they both turned to face the rest of the group. Both Malachi and Tali's eyes met.

"Malachi" she mumbled, although, just low enough so that no one heard her.

"Gentlemen" Colleton began "I would like to introduce to you, The Unit's new Chief Data and Communication Analyst, My Daughter, Staff Sergeant Tali Colleton" said Tom, who was smiling.

"Tom, you don't have a daughter" said Tony.

"Yes I do, she's right here" Colleton protested.

"Tom, you Graduated West Point in 85' right?" asked Tony. Colleton nodded. "And you were 21 at the time?" he asked. Colleton nodded again. "Ok, that means, you were born in" he paused as he did the math in his head "1964"

"Yes, what's your point Major?" asked Colleton.

"You are 33 Years old, and she's what, 18, I'm guessing" he asked. Tali nodded "Ok, so that means you would have been 15 when she was born" argued Tony. Then a light bulb went off in Tony's head. "Give me the room, everyone out" he yelled, "except you" he said pointing to Tali. With that, everyone including Colonel Colleton left the room.

"Yes Major?" she asked, praying in her head that Tony didn't know who see was.

"Tell me something, Ms… David or I guess I should say Colleton now, how is your Sister, Ziva?" he asked. The second Tony had said "David" Tali knew she was screwed.

"So you know who I am?" she asked.

"Eli David's daughter" said Tony.

"Yes Sir, and as you said Officer Ziva David's younger sister"

"And how did you manage to get here?" asked Tony.

"When I inform ed my father of my intention to resign from Mossad, he tried to have me killed in a rocket attack on the West Bank. He believes I was killed. so I contacted Colonel Colleton, as he took me in, and now I am officially his daughter" she explained.

"So Tom is an Abba is he" said Tony, using the Hebrew word for Father.

Tony stood up and walked over to a file Cabinet. As he worked the combination lock he said. "Does the name Rivkin, ring any bells, Staff Sergeant?"

"As in Mossad Officer and Kidon Operative Michael Rivkin?" she asked.

"The very same" said Tony as he pulled out a file

"What about him?" she asked.

"Do you know what happened to your Sister, Ziva, when she was 15?" asked Tony.

"Um, yes, she was, um, raped, in the back of a weapon's carrier. Why do you ask?" she questioned.

"Did the same thing happen to you?" asked Tony with a serious look on his face. Tali remained silence, tears started to well up in her eyes, before she finally nodded. Tony placed the file he was holding on the table and slid it across to her. She opened it, and saw that it was a file on Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin and his Kidon Unit. "On the orders of your Father, Eli David, Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin, raped both you and Ziva, in order to prove that his family was quote 'tough enough to take it' unquote" he said. Tali began to breakdown into tears. Tony walked around the table and pulled her into a warm embrace. "Rivkin is #1 of The Unit's Kill List, and I give you my word, one day, he will die by my hand" said Tony. He wiped away the tears in her eyes. "Hey, look at the bright side, you got a new Abba, one who actually cares about you, and whom I'm sure loves you very much" said Tony, causing her to smile. Then Tony recalled the oath he had sworn himself to that night he was laying in that ditch in Peru.

_"Ziva, I know you can't possibly hear this, but I want you to know, I will kill Michael Rivkin for what he did to you. I promise"._

He meant every word he had said that night. He couldn't explain why, he just did.

When Tony drove home in His 67' Ford Mustang that night, he felt extremely conflicted. He suddenly regretted bringing up the topic of Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin with Tali. At the same time, he was glad that Tali was getting a chance to start all over again. With a new life, a new career, and most importantly, a new Father, one who actually cared for her.

It was very late when Tony pulled into his driveway. He shut off the car and walked to his front door, which he found unlocked. He slipped inside and walked into the living room, where he found his son. Three had fallen asleep on couch watching Monday Night Raw. Tony never understood his son's fascination with Professional Wrestling, but what he found even funnier is that Three had somehow managed to get Malachi hooked into it too. Tony walked over and picked up a blanket which had been resting on the back of the couch, and laid it across Three as he slept. With that, Tony walked down the hall to his bedroom where he found his wife, Kate, asleep. He sat down on the edge of the bed and undid his boots. He kicked the boots off his feet and made his way to the bathroom. After a long hot shower, he slipped into a fresh pair of boxers and sweatpants and crawled into bed next to his wife. Within minutes, Tony was out like a light.

Throughout the night, Tony tossed and turned.

_"Eli was trying to show that not only was he tough, but so is his daughter" after a long pause he said "When Ziva was 15, Eli hired a man, another Kidon assassin named Michael Rivkin, to…." He paused, swallowed and continued "To rape Ziva in the back of a weapons carrier" said Malachi. Tony's jaw dropped_.

_"Movie Buff. Blue Star. Barge secure, 4 hostiles eliminated. RC down, 3 shots to the spine, need Medivac post ricki-tic"_

_ "I'm Sorry to tell you this boys, but Staff Sergeant Cheale is paralyzed from the waist down"_

_Command this is Bravo-03, Bravo-02 is down I say again Bravo-0" was all that Malachi heard over the radio._

_ "Bravo-02, Bravo-02, do you copy over" said McCoy over the radio. No Reply. "Bravo-03, Bravo-03. how copy, over" said McCoy. Still no reply. _

_ "Gary, Randy, this is Alpha-01 over" yelled Tony. No Reply. The Hearts of the all the Delta Force Operators and Agents sank._

_ After everyone was loaded into the trucks, they began to drive away. "Nice job boys" said Tony. As he did, Hirsch's Chest exploded. His blood flew everywhere, splattering over both Malachi and Tony. "JOHNNY!" Tony screamed. Hirsch's body went limp as it collapsed to the floor of the truck bed_

_ Don't do it Tony. This team needs you" said Malachi. Tony face was blank and emotionless as he reached _

_ "Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, precious cargo is secure, Alpha Team exfilling now. Have on addition to previous report. One Kilo Indigo Alpha, repeat one Kilo Indigo Alpha. I say again Backdraft Down" said Tony. _

"_Hirsch?" yelled Colleton. Silence engulfed the chapel. "Sergeant Hirsch". The silence returned. "Master Sergeant John Hirsch" said Colonel Colleton. The 3 men of Alpha Team sat down. "Born 7 November, 1965" continued Colleton. "Eldest son of Jay and Connie Hirsch" Colleton paused again._

"_Killed…In Action" finished Colleton. _

Tony shot up in bed. He was breathing heavily, and let out a huge sigh of relief when he realized it was only a nightmare. Both The JFK Hostage Crisis and Somalia had been hell on him. But Haiti, Haiti was something else entirely. John Hirsch, was one of his best friends, His Senior NCO. It had been 3 years since his death, so that could be a reason for the nightmare, but he just kept getting this weird feeling like he hadn't seen the last of Haiti. He looked over at his alarm clock. It read "0415". It was time for Tony to get up for his Morning PT. his train of thought was abruptly cut off when his new cell phone rang. It was a Unit issue phone, for the purpose of reaching The Unit Members at all times. Reluctantly, he walked over to his nightstand. "Go for DiNozzo" he said answering.

"Top, it's Malachi, I had the watch tonight and we just got a call" said Malachi.

"What is it" Tony asked.

"Marine Force Recon Team was ambushed during a Hostage Rescue Mission. Orders just came down from the top. Alpha Team is to proceed to last known location of Marine Recon Team and eliminate all hostiles connected with ambush" said Malachi.

"Where are we going" asked Tony.

"Port-au-Prince…..Haiti"


	23. Chapter 23

**A/N- Howdy Y'all. So I hope you've all enjoyed my story thus far. I'm thinking of doing a chapter that is solely about a Character other than Tony. But I want You, The People, My readers to decide. So your options are-**

**Sergeant 1****st**** Class Chester Martin "Ironman"**

**Senior Sergeant* Malachi Ben-Gidon "Blue Star**

**Colonel Thomas Colleton "Marshlands"**

**So Please vote, either by PM or Review.**

***Please Note, Senior Sergeant is NOT a rank in ant branch of The United States Military, and to my knowledge, is not a rank in The Israeli Army. But I could be wrong. **

**And Now, without further a due, The Next exciting installment of "28 Seconds" **

**The Following takes place during The JAG Episode "The Good of The Service" (Season 3, Episode 3)**

The roar of The C-130's engines was immense as it transported the men of Alpha Team over the clear blue waters of The Caribbean Sea towards Haiti. The day before, a Marine Force Recon Team was inserted in to The Haitian Capital, Port-au-Prince. There mission was to rescue 6 Red Cross Aid Workers who were being held Captive there by Haitian rebels. However, The Recon Team was ambushed and the 8 men were killed after an intense firefight.

So the call was made and The Unit sprang into action. Because the Marines had been on an official mission, Alpha Team was dressed in Delta Fatigues, like the ones they had worn in Iraq and Somalia. From their black urban combat boots, tan fatigues, black knee and elbow pads, and their black Kevlar vests that had their names stitched in orange writing across the chests. The last time they had worn their Delta Gear was 4 years earlier in 1993. There had been 5 of them then. Tony had just been promoted to Captain, and 1st Sergeant Kearns was still Alpha Team's Senior NCO. Terry Clarkin and John Hirsch were still there too. Malachi was the only one who was still with the Team. Of course, Chester was there, but he was still a Ranger then, not Delta. Come to think of it, there CO was still Colonel McCoy, that asshole who had set them up to die in Somalia. The Unit members who survived Somalia, owed then Major Colleton their lives. But nit was General Garrison who saw how Tom Colleton was willing to risk everything to save his men. Garrison, who at one time was The Delta Force's CO, saw something in Tom Colleton, which perhaps Tom never saw in himself. It was on there, in Somalia, where General Garrison promoted Tom Colleton to Colonel; and made him the Unit's CO.

But like the Calendar, the Team had changed. Somalia had changed the Team. When their enlistments were up in January of 94', both Kearns and Clarkin had left. They were replaced by Chester, who had just passed Selection in December. For the next nine months, Hirsch was Alpha's Senior NCO, but then he got killed, in Haiti. Between October 1993 and September 1994, Tony was the only original Alpha Team member left. Ever since that fateful day in Haiti 3 years earlier, Alpha Team had been a 3 man show. Tony, Malachi and Chester, The Men of Alpha Team. The Covert Warriors, The Unsung Heroes.

And ever since that fateful day 3 years earlier, Tony had been haunted by it. His dreams were nightmares of John Hirsch's chest exploding, of Michael Rivkin's evil, treacherous smile. he never told anyone, not even his beloved Kate about these nightmares. He felt that if anyone found out, Colonel Colleton would be forced to order him to see some dumb shrink, and then Tony feared that he would be out of The Delta Force. So, like a good soldier, Tony sucked it up and fought on. But now, now there was Haiti. The source of all his pain and nightmares. His deep train of thought was derailed as he heard someone on the flight crew yell "2 Minutes". With that, Tony took a deep breath, stood up and began checking his parachute. Tony nearly jumped out of his boots when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He turned and saw it was Malachi.

"Hey, this isn't about Johnny, this is about 6 Hostages. Get your head in the game. What happened to Johnny was not your fault, you hear me? It was NOT your fault" said Malachi. Tony looked up at him and nodded his head. Tony shook his head violently.

"Alright, let's move, we got hostages to rescue" yelled Tony. Malachi shook his own head in disbelief. Tony needed closure, he needed to find peace. He needed to come to terms with Hirsch's death, and most importantly, he needed to understand that Johnny's death was not his fault.

With all their Parachutes ready to go, the Crew Chief lowered the back ramp of the C-130. The 3 men lined up at the lowered ramp. "Hail Caesar, we who are about to die, Salute you" said Tony as they 3 men strapped on their oxygen masks. Tony held up his two hands. Using the pointer and middle fingers of both his hands, he motioned forward. The 3 men stepped off the ramp and into the night.

**24 Hours Later**

0246 hours, 8 September 1997, Rebel Compound, 20 miles east of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. Tony had setup his AWP Sniper Rifle in a bombed out high rise about a ½ klick from the Rebel Compound. There were 3 buildings; all of them would fit right in at a shantytown. In the middle was a large cage that held the 6 Red Cross aid workers. There were about 2 dozen or so fighters scattered throughout the camp. They were armed with a motley assortment of weapons. Type-56 Rifles, AK-47s, PKMs, Tokarevs, Lee-Enfield bolt-action rifles, RPGs and 2 SVD Dragonov sniper rifles. But what interested Tony the most was several crates that were stacked against an outside wall of one of the buildings. The crates were marked with an Israeli Star of David and had Hebrew writing on them. "Blue Star, this is Movie Buff, over" said Tony into his radio, which was attached to his ear.

_"Movie Buff, this is Blue Star, over" _replied Malachi.

"Blue Star, I have established overwatch, by my count, at least 2 dozen hostiles, various small arms. Hostages located center of compound, over" said Tony.

_"Understood, my position, 5 o'clock from cage over" _replied Malachi.

"Your 5 o'clock is different from my 5 o'clock asshole. Hang on, I'll find ya" said Tony. He reached for his pack and pulled out his night-vision goggles. He snapped them on his head and turned them on. He searched around and he finally found Malachi. "Blue Star, I have you in my scope, at my 2 o'clock" said Tony.

_"Copy that" _replied Mal

"Ironman, what's your 20, over" asked Tony.

_"180 degrees from Blue Star, over"_ replied Chester. Tony swung that way and stopped when he found Chester relatively quickly.

"Copy that Ironman, I got ya stopped" replied Tony.

_"How do you wanna handle this Top?" _asked Malachi.

"Looks like most of the hostiles are situated in the buildings. Blue Star; take the building to your left, Ironman, the building to your right. Baseball Grenades through the windows. And before you ask, no silencers, there's no point. Eliminate all hostiles, I'll cover you from here" explained Tony.

"_Yes Sir" _replied Chester.

_"Ken" _replied Malachi, answering "Yes" in Hebrew.

"Move out" ordered Tony, as he turned off the night-vision goggles and ripped them off, shoving them back into his pack. He brought his sniper rifle to his shoulder and peered down the scope. He flicked the safety off, and turned on the infrared scope. He watched as Malachi and Chester slowly rose up, Their M4 Rifles pressed to their shoulders. When they got to the building, they lowered their rifles, letting them hang from their shoulders. They both pulled the grenades from their web gear.

_"Ironman, on my count" _said Malachi into the radio. "_3…2…1" _he said. Both Chester and Malachi pulled the pins and tossed them through open windows. Then they dove for the deck. The grenades went off seconds later. Both huts were blown apart. Malachi and Chester quickly got to their feet. "_7 hostiles down" _said Malachi.

_"8 here" _said Chester. They both quickly spun around when men starting pouring out of the remaining building. The 1st 2 men out were holding AK-47s. Tony fired of 2 shots, in rapid succession, dropping both men. Tony quickly worked the bolt, chambering the next round. Chester and Malachi quickly opened fire on the hut, 3 men poured out of the back of the hut. Tony fired again, dropping the 1st one. As he worked the bolt, the other 2 men, who were holding Type-56 rifles, turned towards Tony's position and opened fire.

"Shit" Tony yelled as bullets when flying passed his prone body. After the men had dispensed their 10-round clips, Tony quickly squeezed off another round. Another man dropped. Quickly, Tony worked the bolt and fired again, dropping the final man. Malachi and Chester approached the hut and fired inside, catching the remaining 4 hostiles in a crossfire.

_"Movie Buff, this is Blue Star, all hostiles down" _said Malachi.

"Copy that, Ironman, check on the hostages" ordered Tony. Tony quickly grabbed his sniper rifle and slung it over his shoulder.

Chester rushed over to the cage where the 6 Red Cross aid workers were being held. Using the butt of his rifle, he bashed off the lock. "Do any of you speak English?" he asked as he opened the cage door.

"Yes, we all do, we are Americans" replied a women. Chester quickly turned around and snapped his rifle to his shoulder as he heard a truck approaching. Malachi did the same.

"Stand down Ironman, it's Top" yelled Malachi. Tony drove into the compound, driving a Mercedes flat bed truck.

"Need a lift brother?" yelled Tony as he jumped out of the truck. Malachi only laughed. "Ironman, load the civvies into the truck" ordered Tony. "Blue Star, with me". They walked over to the hut which hadn't been destroyed. "Take a look at these" said Tony pointing to the crates with Hebrew writing. Malachi squatted down to examine them.

"These crates originated from Haifa, take a look her" he said tapping the side of the long ammo crate, this is the symbol of Ben-Lev Shipping Company, they operate out of Haifa" Malachi informed him.

"Ben Lev, I've heard that name before" said Tony, pondering the name.

"I'm sure you have, the aire to The Ben-Lev Family fortune, Simon Ben-Lev, is Michael Rivkin's #2 on his Kidon Team" he said. Malachi watched Tony's body tense up at the mention of Rivkin's name. T

Tony pulled out his K-bar knife from the sheath that was strapped to his right calf. "Well then" he said as he flipped the knife in his hand, "Let's see what the good Ben-Lev boy has been selling, shall we" he said as he pried open the first box. He threw open the lid and said "Galil Rifles". Malachi came over and looked, then nodded his head. The picked up the box and moved it away. In the next box they found Jericho 941 pistols and body armor. Tony let Malachi open the 3rd box.

"Uzis" said Malachi. As he picked one up to show Tony.

"Uzi, Hebrew for 'my strength'" translated Tony.

"Impressive" said Malachi. "How many languages do you know anyway?" asked Malachi.

"Including English and American Sign Language, 26" said Tony nonchalantly.

"Really?" asked Malachi

"Yes, really. Why are you so stunned? Don't you know like 14 or something like that?" asked Tony.

"15" said Malachi. Malachi opened the final crate. When he did, he yelled. "Whoa! Top take a look at this" he said. Tony walked over, his eyes flew open wide.

"Javelin Anti-tank missile launcher" said Tony. "Another of Israel's finest creations" said Tony, half sarcastically. "We can't leave these crates here. We'll take em back with us and see if Tali can pull some prints off them. Even if she can't, at least we'll have deprived the Rebs of these weapons" said Tony.

**45 minutes later**

"Floor it Mal!" yelled Tony as the truck, loaded up with the hostages and weapons crates sped through Port-au-Prince. There was a Rebel technical hot on their tail. They had to reach the harbor, where a Ranger extraction team was waiting. Both Chester and Tony were firing their M4s at the technical, when suddenly, a bullet crashed through the driver's windshield. The bullet hit the driver right in the right eye. The technical swerved and began to roll, as the now dead driver lost control. "What the hell was that?" asked Tony as the truck pulled to a stop at the Harbor. Tony jumped out and saw a young Ranger Lieutenant working the bolt, on of all things, a Karabiner Sniper Rifle. "Who the hell are you?" asked Tony as he approached.

"He is 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard, the best shot in my battalion" said Major Irving Morrell as he walked forward to shake Tony's hand. Tony was more than impressed with the young Lieutenant's shooting.

After Tony shook Morrell's hand he said "Not anymore Irv, he's mine now" said Tony smiling.


	24. Chapter 24

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Vanished" (Season 3, Episode 6)**

**Previously on "28 Seconds" **

"_He is 2__nd__ Lieutenant Billy Hazard, the best shot in my battalion" said Major Irving Morrell as he walked forward to shake Tony's hand. Tony was more than impressed with the young Lieutenant's shooting. _

_ After Tony shook Morrell's hand he said "Not anymore Irv, he's mine now" said Tony smiling. _

**And Now, The Next Exciting Installment of "28" Seconds **

1035 hours, 9 November 1997, Unit Garage, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It had been 2 months since The Unit's return to Haiti. It was on that day that Tony, Mal and Chester had meet Billy Hazard. It October, Billy Hazard, a West Point Graduate, class of 1996, passed selection. He was now Alpha Team's #2. Tony had a suspicious feeling that Billy would eventually replace Tony as Alpha Team leader, but he decided to cross that bridge if and when he came upon it.

Tony was working on a new weapon he had requisitioned and Billy Hazard was working on some kind of bullet he wanted to use for his Karabiner Sniper Rifle. Tony had a Frank Sinatra Song playing on the radio and he was singing along to "Hound Dog". Tony was deep in thought as he sang along. Back in September, Tali had been able to trace the serial numbers from the weapons they had recovered from Haiti back to Israel. They had not only been manufactured in Israel, but that particular cache had been bought, straight from the factory, by the Mossad. Tali had also been able to pull off two sets of usable finger prints, those of Officer Simon Ben-Lev and Officer Michael Rivkin. Just another thing to add to Rivkin's bulging dossier. The abruptly fell silent; someone had turned off Elvis. "Hey!" Tony yelled "I was listening to that!" he yelled. He turned and saw Tali standing there with her arms crossed and a piece of paper in her hand.

"Tony!" she yelled, waving the paper at him. "Tony, why did this come across my desk?" she asked.

"Why did what come across your desk?" asked Tony as he continued to work.

Tali held up the paper and read _"'Requisition- 1 Browning Automatic Rifle, and 5000 rounds of 30. Caliber ammunition'_ signed Major Anthony D. DiNozzo, Executive Officer, Special Operations Detachment-Delta, Fort Bragg Command". He lowered the paper and re-crossed her arms. "Well?" she demanded. "Why did this appear on my desk this morning?"

"Probably because I requisitioned it" retorted Tony.

"A Browning Automatic Rifle?" she questioned.

"Yeah a BAR" he said.

"What it god's named for?" she asked.

"Well, how else am, I gonna make a scatter gun?" asked Tony, sarcastically.

"A what?"

"A Scatter gun, ya know, like the one used by Bonnie and Clyde" he said.

"What?" she asked. With that, Tony spent the next 15 minutes explaining to her who Bonnie and Clyde were.

"And this" he said holding up his modified BAR "Is a scatter gun". What he had done is, he had used a hack saw to shorten the barrel and modified the clips to hold 30 rounds, instead of 20. Tali only shook her head.

"My Father did not make you his XO so you could abuse your requisition privileges" he said slapping the paper to his chest. Tony could only smile.

_'My Father' is what she had said. Her real, biological father was Eli David, Deputy Director of The Mossad. But Colonel Tom Colleton was now her adoptive step-father. It a blink of an eye, she has gone from Tali David, Mossad Operative, to Tali Colleton, Unit Data Analyst._ He thought. what had made him smile was that she had called Colonel Colleton her dad. _Maybe Tom's adopting her was more than just so she could get away from Israel. _

Their conversation quickly ended when Colonel Colleton walked in, with Malachi and Chester in tow. "Gather round y'all" said Colleton, in his thick South Carolinian accent. Everyone did so. "There's been a kidnapping in Georgia. A Naval Aviator, his wife and 11 year old daughter" he said gravely.

"Who's behind it?" asked Tony.

"Radical Right-wing, Anti-Government Militia, call themselves "The Gringich Defenders" said Colleton.

"Who is this Gringich?" asked Tali.

"Newt Gringich, former speaker of the House of Representatives, he was elected from Georgia" explained Hazard.

"Is he their leader?" she asked.

"No, but his political views are extremely right-wing" said Hazard.

"Back to the point, your mission is simple, get in there and rescue them" ordered Colleton.

"Copy that" said Tony as he laid the modified BAR across his shoulders.

**1 hour later**

1145 hours, 9 November 1997, Interstate-95, South Carolina/Georgia Border. Alpha Team was flying southbound down I-95 towards the town of Marietta, Georgia. Tony and Malachi were in the lead vehicle, a 1995 Chevy Silverado pickup, and Lieutenant Hazard and Chester were in the second vehicle, a 1994 Jeep Grand Cherokee. Tony cranked up the radio as his favorite song came on, Sweet Home Alabama".

**30 minutes later**

"ENOUGH!" Malachi yelled as he turned off the radio. "I have had it up to here, with your singing" he yelled as he held his hand flat in front of his chin. Tony just turned and looked at him.

"You have no soul, bro" said Tony.

"I have been listening to you sing ever since we left. Shut up!" yelled Malachi.

"I'm riding with Ironman next time" said Tony.

Meanwhile, in the 2nd vehicle, Hazard and martin had passed the time talking shop. Their conversation ended when their sat phone rang. Chester looked over at Billy and said "You have rank LT". Billy grabbed the phone from Sergeant 1st Class Martin's hand.

"Go for Hitman" he said as he answered.

_"Hitman, this is Freedom, cannot establish contact with Movie Buff, cannot ascertain why" _said Tali

"Freedom, Movie Buff is blastin' his country music at the moment, probably didn't hear the ring. Got any messages you'd like me to pass on?" asked Billy.

_"Hitman, inform Movie Buff that mission profile has changed, repeat mission profile has changed"_ said Tali.

"Copy that, Freedom. Anything else?" he said.

_"Once you reach rendezvous point, you will meet up with 1 NCIS and 2 JAGs. NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jeathro Gibbs and Navy Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. and USMC Major Sarah Mackenzie" _said Tali.

1400 hours, 9 November 1997, Marietta Sheriff's Office, Marietta, Georgia. The 2 vehicles pulled up outside of the sheriff's station, where the team found 3 people waiting for them. "Harm!" Tony yelled as he jumped out of his truck.

"Tony" Harm replied. "Last time I saw you, you had decided to chest bump a bullet"

"Ha-ha, very fucking funny" replied Tony. Then his eyes shifted over to Harm's new partner, Meg's replacement. "Damn, who's the babe?" he asked. The "babe" walked forward.

"'The babe' is Major Sarah Mackenzie, United States Marine Corp. who the hell are you?" she asked, in a rude manor.

"Tony DiNozzo, Major, US Army" replied Tony.

"Army? You can't be involved in this, you're violating The Posse Comitatus Act" she argued.

"Ya know your predecessor, Lieutenant JG Austin, was a lot more fun than you" he said. Then he turned in Chester's direction and yelled "Ain't that right Ironman?"

"Hooah" replied Chester in the tradition Ranger yell.

"Well I guess that explains why she's out, and I'm in" argued Major MacKenzie. Chester stepped forward.

"Actually Mam, Meg's 'out' as you put it, because she's my wife" said Chester, who did not appreciate the manor in which the Major Mackenzie was speaking about his wife. Tony just walked away.

"DiNozzo!" someone yelled. Tony turned and saw a made standing there in an NCIS windbreaker.

"Ah, Special Agent Gibbs" said Tony as he extended his hand. When Gibbs took it, Tony said "I was informed to meet with you, it's my understanding that my mission profile has changed"

"Yes, The Aviator and his wife were executed" said Gibbs grimly.

"The girl?" asked Tony as he silently prayed.

"She's ok, she managed to escape" said Gibbs, who managed to let out a small smile.

"Oh thank the lord" said Tony as he crossed himself. "Was the girl able to tell us anything?" he asked.

"Yes" said Gibbs as he took a map out of his right breast pocket. He unfolded it and laid it on the hood of Tony's Pickup. He pointed to a location on the map and said "Here, 20 miles west of Marietta, this is where a sheriff's deputy picked the girl up. The location of the Militia's camp is 2 miles from there" said Gibbs. Tony gazed at the map, making a mental note.

"Ok Gunny, you and the 2 paper pushers stay here with the kid and keep her safe" ordered DiNozzo.

"We got a Militia to kill" said Tony as he opened the driver door to his truck. "Mount up boys" he ordered. "Ironman, with me" said Tony. Chester simply nodded and jumped in. "Roll out!" yelled Tony as he waved his hand out the window.

Billy and Malachi could only laugh as they heard the song _"Small town Southern Man"_ blasting from Tony's stereo.

**35 minutes later**

1445 hours, 9 November 1997, Militia Compound, Marietta County, Georgia. The Unit had slowly made its way into the woods that surrounded the Militia's compound. Tony reached into his pack and grabbed his binoculars. Using them, hey surveyed the target area. "OK, I make it about 18 targets, all small arms, AKs mostly" said Tony. Then Tony noticed something. "Ironman, come mere" said Tony. Chester walked forward and Tony handed him the binoculars. Tony pointed and said "1 o'clock, 1200 yards out. Think you can hit that with the LAW?"

"I reckon so" said Chester, smiling.

"Alright, good. Hitman, you and Ironman are on overwatch. Blue Star, you're with me" ordered Tony.

It took Tony and Malachi 15 minutes to take up their positions outside the compound. "Overwatch, we're in position, repeat, in position, over" said Tony into his earpiece radio.

_"Copy that Movie Buff" _replied Chester. 5 seconds later, the rocket soared intro the compound and hit the large propane tank. The tank and the mobile home it was attached to blew sky high, taking 6 hostiles with it.

"Move" ordered Tony. He un-slung his scatter gun from his back and put it up to his shoulder, scanning for targets. Malachi did the same with his M4. 6 militiamen, all carrying AK-47s, emerged from another mobile home. Tony sprayed them with 30. Caliber bullets. Having exhausted the clip, Tony ejected it, and reached for a new one. As he inserted a new clip, Malachi opened fire on 3 more hostiles, dispensing them with 4 rounds to the chest each. The final 3 men emerged from the final trailer and took off running.

"There!" Tony yelled as he dropped to one knee; bring his rifle to his shoulder. 2 of the militiamen stopped running and turned around to shoot. The 3rd man kept running.

"Run Commander" one of the men yelled. Before anything else could happen, the side of the man's head who spoke exploded as a sniper's bullet struck home. The AK-47 he was holding dropped out of his hands as his body dropped like a rock. When the 2nd man turned to see who had a fired, another bullet hit home. The second man's forehead exploded with blood. Milliseconds later, his body dropped to the ground too.

With his bodyguards down, the apparent "Commander" of the militia kept running. However, he was grossly obese and had not gotten very far. Both Tony and Malachi opened fire, both men expending the 30-round clips of their respective guns. The fat man dropped to the ground, dead as a door nail.

Tony stood back up as both he and Malachi reloaded. "Vengeance is mine, sayith The Lord" said Tony. Malachi only nodded.

**6 weeks later**

2030 hours, 24 December 1997, Marshlands Plantation, St. Matthews, South Carolina. Friends and Family a like had journeyed to The Colleton Family plantation for Christmas Eve dinner. It had been a rough year for The Unit, and yet, it had ended on a high note. Yes, Tony had been shot in the chest, and Bravo Team had lost 2 more members. Sergeant 1st Class Jason King had retired and Master Sergeant Barry Hopper had lost any eye on a mission in the South Pacific. And yet, the night is always darkest before the dawn. While The Unit had lost 2 of its own, they had gained 2 as well. 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard had received his Unit tattoo and been given his 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Pistol. And most important, Tali Colleton had finally shaken off the shackles of her previous life. She was officially adopted by Colonel Colleton and her name was now legally Tali Colleton. She was now a US Citizen and a Staff Sergeant in The United States Army. And with her Colonel Colleton's blessing, and with Chester and Meg standing as her Godparents, she decided to convert to Roman Catholicism, and she was baptized. But most importantly, Tali now had something she never truly had before, A Father, and A Family.

As the clock struck 2030 hours sharp, everyone filed into the dinning room. At the head of the table sat The old man himself, Colonel Thomas Colleton, down one side was his family,, his daughter, Tali, his younger sister, Ann, who was 26, and his younger brother, Jacob, who was 21 and had just graduated from West Point in June, and was a 2nd Lieutenant in The 82nd Airborne Division. Next to them were Captain Bauer, his wife Terri, and their 13- year old daughter Kim. Next to her was Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. of The US Navy Judge Advocate General Corps. On the other side of the table, Tony sat next to Colonel Colleton, with Kate and Three next to him. Sitting next to Kate was Malachi, with Chester and Meg next to him. and finally rounding it all out, was Colonel Colleton's aide, 1st Lieutenant Bridget Sullivan and 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard.

As everyone settled into their seats, Tom used his knife to tap his glass and get everyone's attention as he stood up. "It has been a tough year for all of us. And yet, through all of it, we have come through strong as ever. Yes, we lost a few along the way, but we gained just as much. 1st, there's Billy, or 'Billy The Kid' as Tony likes to call him" he said as everyone laughed. "Billy, who for some reason, his weapon of choice 1st debuted on the battlefield more than ½ a century ago, has joined our little family, and we welcome him to it with open arms. And then there is another" he said as tears came to his eyes. "It in this job, as many of you know, you have little time for a personal life. Chester and Meg are the rare exception to that" he said "When General Garrison offered me this job 4 years ago; I knew that taking it would effectively end my social life. but I took it, because you people, you brave men, you Covert Warriors, you Unsung Heroes, needed someone to have your back, someone you could trust. I hoped that person could be me. And, it is. I never thought I'd have a family of my own, a wife and kids. Hell, I still don't have a wife" he paused looking over at Tali. "I started to believe that such things we're impossible for me. Until I met someone very special. Someone who stole my heart from day one. That person is my beautiful daughter, Tali" he said, with tears in his eyes. Tali eyes began flowing with tears of joy. "I love you Tali Colleton, you are my family, my daughter" he said. "Mi Hija" he said in Spanish.

Tali jumped out of her seat and ran over hugging her father tightly. "I love you Daddy" she mumbled through her tears.

"I love you too sweetie pie" he replied, hugging her just as tightly. As they reluctantly ended the hug, Tom put his free arm around Tali's shoulder. With his mother hand he raised his glass. "So on this beautiful Christmas Night, Here's to those we have lost, and to those we have gained. Here's to Family, and spending this wonderful Christmas with them" he paused "Here's to… The Unit" he said as everyone raised there glasses.


	25. Chapter 25

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Impact" (Season 3, Episode 9)**

0700 hours local time, 22 February 1998, Farah Province, Afghanistan. The Men of Alpha Team where dug into the sandy and rocky hillside. In the land below the hill, there was a small village, the village of Arwadi. According to C.I.A intelligence, a meeting of top Al-Qaeda leadership was to be held there today. Both Tony and Lieutenant hazard where dressed in sniper gillie suits, with their faces blacked out. Both of there sniper rifles had been trained on the local town, Tony's AWP and Billy's Karabiner. Malachi was their spotter.

2105 hours, 22 February 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Before Somalia, Captain Bauer had led a 5 man team, now, 4 and ½ years later, it was down to just him. Colonel Colleton hadn't given him a field assignment since their ill-fated mission in the South Pacific. "Tali bring up the sat feed on Alpha's location" he ordered. Tali quickly did her thing and within seconds, the satellite feed on Alpha Team's location in Afghanistan was up on the large screen. "Switch to infrared" he said.

_"Bandit, this Movie Buff, anything on the sate feed, over?" _asked Tony over the radio.

"Negative Movie Buff, both roads leading into the village are as quiet as a tomb" replied Bauer. "Anything on your end?" he asked.

_"Negative Bandit, alls quiet on The Western Front" _replied Tony.

"Smartass" mumbled Bauer to himself. He turned as he heard the door to the T.O.C open. He saw Colonel Colleton and Chester walk in.

"Bauer" said Colleton.

"Yes Sir" replied Jack.

"Let Ironman take over, you got a greenshirt coming in today" said Colleton. Jack just stood there silent. "Dammit Jack, you've been pestering me for months to get back in the field. If y'all wanna do that, you're gonna need a team to do it" said Colleton as he threw his thumb over his shoulder. "Move!" yelled Colleton.

"Yes Sir" replied Jack as he took off his headset and ran out. Chester walked over a picked up the headset and put it on.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your Captain speaking, I'd like to thank you for flying 'Air Ironman' on this fine February morning" said Chester, half laughing as he said it.

_"Cut the crap Ironman, we got a job to do" _said Tony.

"The Pot calling the kettle black" replied Chester. Chester looked up at the satellite feed. "Movie Buff, Vehicle moving to target area, from the west, over" said Chester as he saw to fast moving objects moving down the road.

_"Copy that Ironman, have vehicle in sight" _replied Tony.

Tony watched through his scope as the SUV, a Land Rover, sped down the road. When the vehicle reached the village, 2 men stepped out of the front seat. The Driver, Tony was able to see instantly, "Ironman, I have visual on Target 0-0-2, I repeat have eyes on Target 0-0-2, over" said Tony. He watched as the passenger slowly came into view. He was a darker skinned man, most likely of Middle Eastern decent. The man had the beginnings of a scraggly beard and he wore dark sun glasses. "What the" Tony whispered as his blood began to boil. "Ironman, I have Target 0-0-1 in my sights, a say again, I have eyes and scope on Target 0-0-1"

_"Ironman, I have visual on Target 0-0-2, I repeat have eyes on Target 0-0-2, over" _said Tony over the radio. Chester glanced over towards the far wall, Target 0-0-2 on The Unit's Kill list_ "Ironman, I have Target 0-0-1 in my sights, a say again, I have eyes and scope on Target 0-0-1_" said Tony. Hearing this, Chester's head snapped back to the Kill List again, looking to the picture hanging to the far most left. The number one Target on the Unit's Kill list. "I_ have clear line of sight, both targets in my sight, over, requesting permission to fire, over" _

"Copy That Movie Buff, hang on" said Chester. _If only 0-0-3 was there too, then we could get the whole fucking Devil's Trifecta. _He turned to Colonel Colleton, "Sir, Movie Buff has eyes on Targets 0-0-2 and 0-0-1. Requesting permission to terminate". Tom Colleton looked over at the kill wall. He closed his eyes as he took in and let out a deep breath. He stepped forward and motioned for Chester to hand him the headset.

Tali watched this unfold as she looked up at Chester and her father from her workstation. "Movie Buff, this is Marshlands. Do not fire, I repeat, do not fire!" said Colleton, gravely. "Orders from the chain are very specific, fire on designated targets only, I repeat fire on designated targets only" said Colleton. He looked up and his eyes met his daughter's. Her eyes were welling up with tears as she listened to her father's orders. "I'm sorry boys, those are the orders. How copy?" asked the Colonel.

_"Understood Sir" _Tony replied, his voice, flat and numb. Colleton took off the headset and handed it to Chester.

"I'll be with Bauer if you need anything" said Colleton as we walked out. Chester nodded and picked up the headset.

"Movie Buff, this is Freedom" said Tali as she spoke through her own headset. "3 more vehicles approaching village from the east, this could be target, over" she said.

"Copy that Freedom" said Tony as he shifted his scope. He watched as the 3 vehicles approached. The lead and follow vehicles were also Land Rovers. The middle one was a Mercedes-Benes limousine. The cars pulled into the village. When they did, several men, all dressed in body armor, exited the rovers. "Freedom, hostiles have kevlar and various small arms" he said.

_"AKs?" _she asked.

"No, G-36s, M-4s, and MP5s. these ain't stupid moosh, these are pros" said Tony. "None of them appear to be of Middle Eastern decent either. I think" he paused. "I think they're Americans" said Tony. A well dressed man exited the limo. He was dressed in a business suit. Tony turned to Malachi. "Blue Star, get some snap shots of these assholes" he whispered. Malachi reached for his pack and pulled out his camera. While he took the photos, Tony looked through his scope again. "Freedom, intel must be off, there's no AQ here" said Tony. He watched as the well dressed man took a briefcase out of his limo. He walked over to the hood of the limo and laid it down. The 1st Middle Eastern man, Target 0-0-1, took a brief case from his SUV and walked over to the limo and laid it down. They opened their brief cases at the same time. The businessman's suitcase was filled with papers, while Target 0-0-1's was filled with cash. After they shook hands, they exchanged brief cases and went their separate ways. "Freedom, the two groups just completed a deal, suitcase of cash for same of documents"

"_Evidence?" _she asked.

"Blue Star took a few ruddy snapshots of the whole bloody affair" replied Tony in a very British accent. Then Tony's head snapped to the sky as he heard the sound of an approaching helicopter. "Freedom, I'm hearing an approaching rotorwing, do you have visual on the sate feed?" he asked.

_"Copy that Movie Buff, we have rotorwing on sate feed" _she replied.

"Hostile?" asked Tony.

_"Negative Movie Buff" _she paused. "_It's squawking a Marine signal_" she said, with a great amount of surprise in her voice.

"What the hell are those Jarheads doing here?" asked Tony, who was stunned. But Tony wasn't the only one who noticed the helo's presence. The businessman started yelling to his men. The other 2 men, the ones of Israeli decent wasted no time. They rushed to the back of their Land Rover. At the same time, so did the businessman's bodyguards. They threw Away a brown sheet and pulled out a Stinger Missile. "Holy Shit, Freedom, Target 0-0-1 has a Stinger repeat, 0-0-1 has a Stinger, requesting permission to fire, say again, request fire order, over" Tony yelled.

Once he had heard a Marine Helo was in the area, Chester rushed out to get Colonel Colleton. The 2 men came rushing back, with Jack and his new recruit, Staff Sergeant Jonathan Cole in tow. _"Say again, request fire order over" _yelled Tony over the radio. Colleton quickly ran over and grabbed the headset that Chester had laid down when he had left the room. Tom looked up at the sate feed and saw what was happening. But before Tom could give them permission to open fire, the 2 Stinger Missiles were fired. _"Missiles have been fired, repeat, missiles have been fired!" _Tony screamed. Colleton watched in horror as the 2 stinger missiles hit the Marine Sea Stallion. The 1st missile hit the rotor, sending the helicopter into a tailspin. The 2nd stinger hit the fuselage, causing the helo to explode.

As the Helo crashed to the ground, Targets 0-0-2 and 0-0-1 jumped into their Land Rover and took off. "God dammit" yelled Tony as he watched them flee. "Targets 0-0-2 and 0-0-1 are exiting target area. I say again, requesting permission to fire, god dammit" he yelled.

_"Permission granted" _replied Colonel Colleton.

"Finally" said young Billy Hazard as he flicked the safety of his Karabiner. Tony did the same with his AWP.

"Yeah, but the ones I wanted already got away" said Tony as he drew a bead on one of the bodyguard's head. Both Tony and Billy opened fire. At 1800 yards, this was a tough shot for a normal soldier, but not for Delta. Both bullets struck home. The 2 bodyguards dropped instantly. The man dressed in the suit grabbed his brief case and jumped for his limo. Tony and Billy fired off several more shots, all one shot, one kills. Unfortunately, the businessman was able to escape. "Dammit" he said. "Marshlands, targets have fled, repeat, targets gone" said Tony.

_"Anyway of identifying them, Movie Buff?" _asked Colleton.

"Hang on, I got an idea" said Tony. "Marshlands, I'll get you what you need, Movie Buff out." He finished. Then he turned to Billy and Malachi and said "Hitman, cover me, Blue Star, do the same" said Tony as he stood up.

"Tali girl, what the hell was that helo doing in Afghani air space?" asked Chester. Before Tali had a chance to say anything, Colonel Colleton spoke up.

"It was transporting a White House aide, who had a meeting with The Afghani President" said Colleton gravely. Then he turned to Tali and said "Movie Buff's Team needs to exfil post ricki-tick"

"Copy that, I'll pass it on" she replied as he put on her headset. "Movie Buff, this is Freedom, over"

_"Movie Buff, this is Freedom, over"_

"Go for Movie Buff" said Tony as he approached the village. With his AWP slung across his back, he slowly made his way into the deserted village. As he approached the 2 abandoned SUVs, he drew a hatchet from his web gear.

Off in the distance both Billy and Malachi watched. "Top, what the hell are you doing?" asked Malachi.

"_Gathering evidence" _he replied as he swung down the hatchet. The look on Malachi's face was one of pure shock. A few minutes later Tony walked back and tossed a filled satchel bag to him. "That, combined with your photos, should be more than enough to find out who that guy was" he said.

**48 hours later**

1045 hours, 24 February 1998, Unit Locker room, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The flight home from Afghanistan had been a quiet one. Tony never spoke a word. He was stilled pissed that he had let two guys on the Unit's Kill list walk away without taking a shot. When Billy spoke up and asked who they were, Malachi explained to him who they were, and why they were on the list, the whole "Devil's Trifecta".

The 4 men of Alpha Team were sitting around the table in the middle of their locker room, everyone with a beer in hand, when Colonel Colleton walked in. "A little early to be drinking ain't it" he commented. After no one responded, he continued. "Y'all did a fine job collecting that evidence, but Jesus Christ Tony, did you have to chop their hands off?" he asked.

"How else are we gonna get finger prints for Tali Girl to id for us?" he asked, half sarcastic, half serious.

"Well, you'll be happy to know, that we've identified the men you killed" said Colleton.

"Mercenaries?" asked Billy

"Close, they're PMCs, Brandenhurst Corporation" said Tom.

"The Defense Contractor, I thought they only manufactured the stuff" said Chester.

"Yeah, well these guys all worked for em" said Colleton.

"What about that fella who dressed all fancy like?" asked Chester.

"Special Agent Clark Palmer, DSD" said Colleton as he threw a file down onto the table. Tony grabbed it and started reading it over.

"Ain't The Defense Security Division supposed to be protecting our secrets, not selling them" Tony pointed out.

"Well, unfortunately, since we can't prove what he was selling, we can't do shit about it" said Colleton.

"That son of a bitch shot down a Marine Helo for crying out loud" protested Tony as he shot up from his seat.

"Calm down Major DiNozzo, I know what he did, which is why as of 1100 hours today this becomes official" he said as he slide another piece of paper across the table to Tony.

Tony picked it up and read it aloud. The paper was a photo of Special Agent Palmer with the word "WANTED" printed across the top in big red letters. "Special Agent Clark Palmer- Defense Security Division- WANTED- DEAD or Alive. Designated- Target 0-0-4"

"I just hung the same photo up on the kill wall" said Tom. "Don't worry, we'll get em, we'll get em all" said Tom, confidently.

**A/N- So, who do you think "The Devil's Trifecta" is?**

**Who are Target 0-0-1, Target 0-0-2, and Target 0-0-3?**


	26. Chapter 26

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Tiger! Tiger!"- (Season 3, Episode 18)**

_** '**__Where am I' Tony thought as he walked around. He was dressed in civvies, but he was stuck in the middle of the Desert. In the distance, there was an old, run-down and abandoned diner. Being the only structure he could see, Tony began to walk towards it. As he approached, he heard gun shots. A mix of AK-47s, Uzis, 45. ACPs and Sig Sauers and even an M-60. Hearing this, Tony started running for the building. He reached for his weapon when he realized something, he didn't have one. "What the hell?" he yelled when he realized he wasn't even wearing his holster. As he got closer he heard voices. _

_ "Run Aunt Jenny! RUN!" yelled a familiar voice. _

_ "Three?" asked Tony. Two persons emerged from the diner, a woman, who looked to be in her mid-50s with luscious red hair, and a young man, mid-20s, with a full beard and mustache. 'It can't be' Tony thought. It looked like a 25-year old version of his son. _

_ Tony watched as the women stopped running, turned around and raise her gun, a P-226 Sig Sauer. As she went to fire, a bullet struck her in the side of the head. The side of her head exploded and her bloody collapsed to the ground. "JENNY!" the man screamed._

0230 hours, 6 March 1998, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.

"AHHHHHHH!" Tony screamed as he shot up in bed. He was panting and breathing heavily, his entire body was drenched in sweat. Kate shot up next to him, grabbing his arm.

"Tony what's wrong?" she asked. Tony's breathing slowed down considerably as he felt Kate grab his arm. He let out several deep breaths.

"Bete Noire" he replied, locking eyes with his wife. He leaned in and kissed her.

"Same one?" she asked after they broke the kiss.

"Yeah, that makes 3 nights in a row, the same damn dream" replied Tony as he laid his head back down on his pillow. "I don't get it!" he exclaimed "The only 'Jenny' I know is Jenny from 'Forrest Gump'" said Tony with a small smile.

"You're unbelievable" she said as she laid down atop of his bare chest. "Ya know" she said as she ran her finger down his impressive torso. "Since we're already up" she said with a seductive smile.

"I thought you'd never ask" he said as he clasped his hands around her ass, causing her to giggle. Kate was letting her hand slide down to his pajama bottoms when Tony's cell phone rang.

"Grrrrrrr" Kate growled. "I'm going to kill Tom" she whined. Tony laughed as he reached over to his nightstand and grabbed his cell.

"Go for DiNozzo" he said.

_"Get up and get your ass down to the T.O.C, post ricki-tick" _ordered Colleton.

"I don't suppose The President just had a nightmare and I'll be back in a hour?" pleaded Tony.

_Move it, Major" _yelled Colleton as he hung up. Tony laid down the phone and turned to look at Kate. She knew the look on Tony's face well. She sighed and placed her head on Tony's chest.

"I love you" whispered Tony into Kate's ear.

"I love you too" she replied as she looked up and kissed him once again.

0255 hours, 6 March 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, South Carolina. After a quick 2 minute, freezing cold shower, Tony quickly dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a Hawaiian shirt. He jumped into his 67' Mustang and sped off into the night. When he got to the T.O.C, he was the last one to arrive. He found Mal, Chester, Billy, Jack and the rookie, Cole, waiting for them. "This better me important" Tony grumbled as he took a seat.

"You can bang your wife later DiNozzo" said Colleton as he walked in, his daughter, Tali, in tow. "Listen up boys, this is The Big One" said Colleton gravely. "An hour ago, an US Navy Destroyer, The U.S.S Thomas Custer, was hijacked by The Cubans". Everyone was stunned.

"Those morons with the cigars are aware that that is an act of war?" said Tony, who now was pissed that he hadn't been called sooner.

"Technically, what they did is a matter of interpretation" said Colleton.

"How, The Thomas Custer is a U.S Naval vessel, it's ours" protested Tony.

"Tony, I'm gonna put this in terms, only you can understand, 'The Hunt for The Red October'" said Colleton.

"Defection?" asked Tony.

"The Executive Officer, Lieutenant Myron Zwelling, let the defection. He already executed the Captain, Commander Daniel Grady" said Colleton.

"Where is she now?" asked Tony, referring to the ships location.

"She's docked in the Port of Havana" Colleton informed them.

"What are our orders, Sir?" asked Tony.

"Movie Buff, Bandit, Hitman, Ironman" he paused "and Phantom" he said looking at Cole. "The 5 of you will infiltrate The Marina, liberate the crew, and get the hell out of there" ordered Colleton. "The highest ranking officer still alive is Lieutenant JG Thad Portman, once you are outside Cuban territorial waters, you'll turn command over to him, and extract via helo" ordered Colleton.

"Civvies?" asked Tony.

"Commando gear, with patches" said Colleton. "We want em to know who did it"

"Yes Sir" replied Tony.

"What about me?" asked Malachi

"You are tasked with eliminating Lieutenant Zwelling" ordered Colleton. "In fact, he's staying at The Las Palmas Hotel" said Colleton, smiling.

_He quickly picked the lock to the doctor's room and he silently entered. He holstered his pistol and drew his Micro-tech Halo knife, which was Serbian Special Forces issue. He walked over to the doctor's bed, were the good doctor was sound asleep. Malachi picked up a pillow off the floor and placed it over the doctor's face. He flicked open the blade on the knife and stabbed through the pillow, into the doctor's face, several times_.

"Yes Sir, I know it well" said Malachi.

"Colonel, the Cubans will have half and Army guarding the Lieutenant, Mal is gonna need some kind of back up" protested Tony.

"I know, and if I had someone available, I'd happily give him some, but The Thomas Custer takes priority" said Tom

"I'll go" said a voice from behind Tom. He turned and saw Tali standing there, tall and proud.

"Absolutely not" yelled Colleton.

"Damn it Dad, The Monsters at Mossad trained me as an assassin. I know how to kill someone" she said. This debate went back in forth for several more minutes, before Tom finally conceded defeat.

"Fine, but Malachi takes the lead" said Colleton.

"Yes Sir" they both replied at the same time.

"Good Hunting, dismissed" said Colleton as he walked out.

_We walk alone, in the unknown, we live to win another victory_

_ We are the young, dieing sons, we live to change the face of History_

_ So be afraid, it's the price we pay, the only easy day was Yesterday_

_ So hear our voice, he have a choice, so time to face it_

_ We Are One, We Are One, We Are One, We will stand Together_

_ Number One, Number One, the Chosen Ones, We Are One, We Are One, _

_We will fight forever_

_ We Are One and we won't die young_

_ We are the vogue, United Souls, we live to win another Victory, _

_ Our sacred scars, show who we are, they tell the story of our memory_

_ Don't be afraid, it's the price we pay, the only Easy Day, was Yesterday_

_ So hear our voice, we have a choice, so start top face it_

_ We Are One, We Are One, We Are One, We will stand Together_

_ Number One, Number One, the Chosen Ones, We Are One, We Are One_

_We will fight forever_

_ We Are One and we won't die young_

_ We walk alone, in the unknown, we live to win another Victory_

_ Are sacred scars, show who we are, it's time to face it, face it, it's time to face it_

_ We Are One, We Are One, We Are One, We will stand Together_

_ Number One, Number One, the Chosen Ones, We Are One, We Are One, _

_We will fight forever_

_We Are One, We Are One, and we won't die young_

_We Are One, We Are One, yeah_

_Number One, Number One, the Chosen Ones_

_We Are One, We Are One, yeah_

_ We Are One, and we won't, won't die young_

_ We Are One, We Are One, yeah_

_ Number One, and We won't die young_

_ We Are One, We Are One, yeah_

_ Number One, and We won't die young_

0030 hours, 7 March 1998, Penthouse, Las Palmas Hotel, Havana, Cuba. After a long night on drinking, Lieutenant Zwelling stumbled back to his Penthouse Suit, which was graciously being paid for by the Cuban Government. Around his arm was a sweet, Senorita that he had picked up in the bar. She had beautiful brown hair and sweet and sexy olive skin. Zwelling smiled at the 2 guards that stood at his door. he walked inside and the senorita threw him onto the bed. "Un momento por favor" she said as she went to lock the door. they she walked over to her purse.

"What are you doing?" Zwelling asked.

"Roll over, I give you nice massage" she said in her sexy accent. He rolled onto his stomach as she mounted his back. He felt her pull his head back by his hair, and he felt something sharp around his neck. Before he knew, the garrote has synched around his throat.

"This is what happens when you betray my country you worthless piece of shit" she yelled, her accent had all but disappeared, as she spoke in a slight South Carolinian drawl. She tightened the garrote even further as she pulled back with all her might. 10 to 15 seconds later she released, the wire had completely severed his carotid artery. She dropped his body onto the bed and walked over to the sliding glass door. she walked out onto the balcony and dropped the garrote into the pool below. She turned as she heard a knock at the door.

"Is everything ok Senor?" the voice asked. When they didn't get a response, they kicked the door in. when they saw Zwelling's body sprawled out dead on the bed, they raised there AK-47s and pointed them at the women. "Los Manos en su cabeza, ahora" they ordered. The women shut her eyes and did as they ordered. She dropped to her knees as the 2 men approached. She heard 4 gunshots rang out. After a few seconds, she realized that none of the shots had hit her. She opened her eyes and saw the 2 soldiers, lying dead on the floor. she looked up and saw a man standing by the open door, he was holstering his M9.

"Malachi?" she whispered. He quickly rushed over and picked her up off her knees.

"Come on Tali girl, you didn't think I was gonna just up and leave ya?" he asked sarcastically.

"Thank you" she said as she kissed him on the cheek.

"Come on, we gotta get to the Marina" he said as he grabbed her hand and pulled her out the door.

0115 hours, 7 March 1998, Fidel Castro Marina, Port of Havana, Havana, Cuba. Tony, Chester, Billy, Jack and Cole quickly cut their way through the chain link fence as they entered the Marina. "Ok listen up" said Tony. "Bandit, take Phantom and Ironman. Secure the ship and see if you can get he engine fired up" he ordered. "Me and Hitman will secure the crew. Ok, let's move out". The group split up. Tony and Billy flicked the safeties off their M4s as they approached the warehouse where the Thomas Custer's crew was being held. They were dressed in black commando fatigues, and had large American Flag patches on their right sleeves. They slowly approached the door. when they got close, they each went to a side. Tony held up his hand and signal 3…2…1. he kicked open the door, Billy followed right behind. The quickly scanned and fired, dropping the half dozen guards who were guarding them. "Lieutenant junior Grade Thad Portman" Tony called out.

"Here" came a voice. Tony motioned for him to come over.

"Major Black, Special Forces" he said. "Is your crew ready to move?" he asked.

"Yes Sir" Portman replied.

"Good, my orders are to get you out of Cuban territorial waters, once we do, The ship's all yours" said Tony.

"Right Sir" Portman replied.

0120 hours, 7 March 1998, Level 2, Parking garage, Las Palmas Hotel, Havana, Cuba. "Malachi, how are we getting out of here?" Tali asked, her hand still intertwined with Malachi's.

"This" said Malachi as he turned the corner and rolled out a Motorcycle "a 1998 Kawasaki XJ9 Ninja" he said. He jumped on and kick started it. He put on his helmet and then handed one to Tali. "Come on get on" he said with a smile. she put on the helmet and climbed on to back on the motorcycle. She locked her arms around Malachi's abs. _Damn! _She thought as she felt how well built he was. She slide forward and pressed her body to Malachi's back. Mal hit the throttle as they sped off into the night.

0145 hours, 7 March 1998, Fidel Castro Marina, Port of Havana, Havana, Cuba. "Let's move" Tony signaled to Lieutenant JG Portman. The ships engines began turning as she began to move away from the dock. "Come on, Mal, where are you" pleaded Tony.

"There he is" pointed Chester as a Motorcycle came tearing through the Marina and down the dock.

"Sounds like a fucking blender" joked Tony. Malachi gunned the throttle as he jumped the bike off the dock and onto the helicopter pad on the back of the ship. He snapped down the kick stand as he and Tali got off. Tony smiled as he held up his hand. Malachi grabbed it and they had a quick Bro moment. Tony reached for the sate phone, which was in its pouch, strapped to Tony's leg. "Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, we are away, repeat, precious cargo away" said Tony, proudly.

_"Excellent job, Movie Buff, status of Benedict Arnold?" _asked Colleton. Tony looked up at Mal, when he gave him a nod, Tony smiled.

"Terminated" replied Tony.

"_Excellent, RV with helo as soon as feet wet_" instructed Colonel Colleton.

"Copy that, Movie Buff…out"

**6 hours Later**

0805 hours, 7 March 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. For the 1st time in a while, the flight home had been a fun one. Everyone was smiling, even Tali. Unbeknownst to Tali, Malachi had heard everything she had down to kill Zwelling, especially the part about "My Country". That part really made Tony proud. When they entered the T.O.C, they found Colonel Colleton waiting for them.

"How'd she do?" he asked.

"Your daughter certainly lived up to the family name" said Tony with a smile. Colleton smiled and pulled his daughter into a warm embrace.

"I'm so proud of you" Tom whispered into her ear.

"I love you Daddy" she replied, drawing an "Aww" from everyone in the room. Suddenly, alarms starting going off. Tali broke the embrace and turned it off. Then she went to her desk. "Staff Sergeant Colleton" she said answering her phone. "Yes Sir, oh yes Sir" she said. She turned to her father and said. "Sec Def on line one".

Colleton walked over and grabbed the phone from his daughter. "This Colleton" he said. After a minute. He continued "Yes Sir, I'll put my best men on it" he said hanging up the phone.

"What's up Tom?" asked Tony.

"There's been a nerve gas attack on a US peace-keeping base in Algeria. Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility. Here's the kicker. You wanna guess who provided security for the base?" asked Colleton.

"Who?" asked Captain Bauer.

"Defense Security Division"

**To Be Continued…**

**A/N- so there it is folks, Tali's 1****st**** mission. **

**Also, I would like you, my readers, to help me settle an argument I'm having with my brother. **

** Who is more Attractive?**

** A- Petty Officer Jennifer Coates (Zoe McLellan) from JAG**

** Or**

** B- Mossad Officer Liat Tuvia (Sarai Givaty) from NCIS**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW! **


	27. Chapter 27

**A/N- just a quick correction it's The Bradenhurst (not Brandenhurst) Corporation. **

**The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Imposter"- (Season 3, Episode 20)**

**Previously on "28 Seconds" **

_Colleton walked over and grabbed the phone from his daughter. "This Colleton" he said. After a minute, he continued "Yes Sir, I'll put my best men on it" he said hanging up the phone. _

_ "What's up Tom?" asked Tony._

_ "There's been a nerve gas attack on a US peace-keeping base in Algeria. Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility. Here's the kicker. You wanna guess who provided security for the base?" asked Colleton._

_ "Who?" asked Captain Bauer. _

_ "Defense Security Division"_

**And now, the Next exciting installment of "28 Seconds" **

0900 hours local time, 9 March 1998, Camp Washington, 35 miles southeast of Algiers, Algeria. Following the gas attack, Captain Bauer, Staff Sergeant Cole, Malachi and Chester were sent to Camp Washington, to start the investigation into who is responsible, and eliminate them. When their C-130 landed, they immediately deplaned, not wanting to waste anytime. The first thing they saw made them sick to their stomachs. The dead had already been processed by The Army CID Team that had been sent by the Pentagon. There bodies had been tagged and placed in body bags, and the body bags had been lined up alone the runway. Chester crossed himself as they walked past. They were all still dressed in their commando gear, as they hadn't even had time to change before being sent out again. As they walked off the tarmac, they were greeted by a Marine. "Captain Bauer?" he asked.

"How do you know my name?" asked Bauer, suspiciously. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Chester's hand drop to his 45. which was holstered around his right thigh.

"Forgive me Sir, Gunnery Sergeant Victor Galindez; I was assigned to Major Mann's CID team while they're conducting their investigation. She ordered me to meet you" he explained.

"Hollis Mann?" asked Jack.

"Yes Sir, Major Hollis Mann" the Marine replied.

"Ok" said Bauer as he turned to his team. "The 3 of you, stow your gear, I'm gonna go have a friendly like chat with the nice Major".

"Yes Sir" they all replied in unison.

"Um Sir, we ain't got no gear, just what we had on our last op" pointed out Chester.

"Oh, right, well, just wait here then" order Bauer. Then he turned to Staff Sergeant Galindez and said "Lead on Marine"

"Yes Sir" said the Marine. He led Captain Bauer past a few rows of buildings until they came to one marked "Military Police". Bauer walked in and found Major Mann sitting behind a desk.

Hollis looked up and smiled. "Captain Bauer, long time no see"

"Mam" he replied. Hollis shook her head.

"Cut the formalities Bauer, it's Hollis" she said. Bauer only smiled. "I assume you're here to kill the people responsible for this atrocity" she said.

"Mam, my team is here to aid you in your investigation, nothing more" replied Bauer. But Mann knew better. She motioned for Bauer to sit in one of the folding chairs in front of her desk.

"So, Hollis" he said, intentionally emphasizing her name "What can you tell me?" asked Jack. Before she could answer, Both Sergeant 1st Class Martin and Senior Sergeant Ben-Gidon entered the building. "I thought I told you to wait outside" said Bauer.

"You did, but we got bored" answered Chester with a smile.

"Fine, just keep your traps shut while The Major briefs us" he said. He turned back to Major Mann and nodded for her to continue.

"43 K.I.A, another 103 seriously wounded" she said shaking her head.

"Do we know what kind of gas was used?" asked Bauer.

"Actually yes" replied Mann as she picked up a clipboard from here desk. "Sentox VX-1" she said. Both Malachi and Chester looked at each other.

_. "At 0530 this morning, a group of hostiles, with unknown affiliations broke into a chemical weapons depot in South Carolina. From there they headed north, and The N.C Staties have tracked them to an airfield near here. "Tony, I want you to take Mal and Martin with you to investigate. Hirsch will stay here to run ops. Understood?" he asked._

"_What was stolen sir?" asked Tony._

"_2 Canister of Sentox VX-1 Nerve Gas" said Colleton. _

Major Mann noticed the looks on their faces. "Everything thing ok boys?" she asked.

"Its fine Mam, it's just, we've seen this stuff before, a few years back" said Chester as he mentally recalled his 1st mission with the Unit. It was also on of John Hirsch's last.

"Do we know who manufactures this stuff?" asked Bauer.

"That's an easy one" said a voice form outside. Everyone turned to the door as Staff Sergeant Jonathan Cole walked in. "Sentox? It's manufactured by a US Defense Contractor, the Bradenhurst Corporation" he said.

"How do you know that Staff Sergeant?" asked Major Mann.

"I was EOD before I joined this here Unit" he said.

"Excuse me Captain, Major, I have to make a call" said Malachi as he exited the building. Malachi walked through the rows of buildings until he found a spot where he was alone. He grabbed his sate phone from his pack and dialed.

_"Go for Freedom" _answered Tali.

"It's Blue Star. I need some info. The Bradenhurst Corporation, they manufacture Sentox Vx-1 Nerve gas, correct?" he asked. 

_ "That's correct Blue Star, manufactured and stored it" _she replied.

"All of it?" he asked.

"_Yes why?"_

"The same gas was used in the attack" said Mal.

"_Well, all VX Gas is accounted for. Except for what was still in the hands of Bradenhurst and DSD, why?"_ she asked.

"Bradenhurst manufactures this crap, and DSD provides Security for the base it was used on. What if what Target 0-0-4 was selling wasn't technological secrets, what if it was the security plan for Camp Washington?" said Malachi.

_"But that would mean that 'The Devil's Trifecta' is in bed with Al Qaeda. Do you really think our people would do such a thing?" _she asked.

"Our people in general? No. 'The Devil's Trifecta'? Yes" replied Malachi. "Look, just inform Marshlands of our findings, it's his call on what happens next, Blue Star, out" he said as he hung up.

0400 hours, 9 March 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. _"Look, just inform Marshlands of our findings, it's his call on what happens next, Blue Star, out" _said Malachi as he hung up.

"Mal wait" said Tali, but she was too late, as all she heard was a dial tone. "Be careful" she said with a sigh. With that, she hung up her phone and got up from her desk. She usually hated having the night watch, but when Malachi was out in the field, she always would volunteer for it. _I wish I could tell him how I really felt. But how can I? I'm 19 and he's gonna be 30 in October. I want him so badly. I want him more than anything else. Not that I matters, I'm sure he only had my back in Cuba because he's a good teammate and nothing more _she sighed. She left the T.O.C and stopped in front of her father's office door.

"Come in" replied The Colonel when she knocked. She walked in and shut the door behind her.

"Blue Star just reported in" she said. "The Gas used in the attack was confirmed to be Sentox VX-1, manufactured by Bradenhurst and stored by DSD" she informed him.

"Just as we suspected" said Tom.

"There's something else, Blue Star suspects that what Target 0-0-4 was selling in Arwadi was NOT technological secrets" she said.

"What does he think it was?" he asked.

"The Security plans to Camp Washington" she said.

"But that would mean…" was all he got out

"That, that piece of shit Eli David and his Golden Boys Rivkin and Ben-Lev are in bed in Al Qaeda" she finished. Tom let out a huge breath.

"Do you think your father is capable of such things?" he asked, knowing this was not something he would ask unless absolutely necessary.

"No" she replied. "My Father is a good man, who serve's his country, my country. You are my father Colonel, not that piece of shit I left behind in Israel" she said. "And to answer your question, is Eli David capable of such actions? The answer is yes" she said looking him straight in the eye.

"Ok then" he said as he picked up his phone. He dialed quickly.

0415 hours, 9 March 1998, 2 miles east of Brandenhurst Corp HQ, Fairfax, Virginia. Tony and Billy sat in the front seat of their HUMVEE as Tony answered his sate phone. "Go for Movie Buff" he said as he answered.

"_Movie Buff, this is Marshlands, Operation Riptide is Go" _said Colonel Colleton.

"Copy that Marshlands. ROE?" he asked.

_"Weapons free, assume hostile intent, but I want 0-0-4 alive if possible" _instructed Colleton.

"Understood Sir, Movie Buff, out" he said as he hung up. He turned to Billy and asked "You ready?"

"Born ready" replied Lieutenant Hazard. Tony reached into the back seat and grabbed his scatter gun and made sure it was loaded. Once he did, Tony started the HUMVEE and put into gear. He sped off down the road. "Vengeance is mine, sayith The Lord" said Billy as the main gate came into sight.

"He sub-contracts" said Tony as the HUMVEE crashed through the gate. As it did, the main gate guards opened up on them with MP5s, but the bullets merely bounced off the reinforced armor of the HUMVEE. Tony floored the accelerator as the HUMVEE entered the main compound. He brought it to a stop right in front of the entrance to the main building. "Move out, Weapons free, 0-0-4 alive, if possible" order Tony.

"Right" responded Billy as he loaded a clip into his M4. They exited the HUMVEE and rushed to the main entrance. The doors were glass sliding doors. The security guards had locked them, _yeah like that'll stop us_ thought as he fired through the glass. Both men raised their rifles to their shoulders, as they entered. 2 security guards stood up from the front desk, their Glock 17 sidearms drawn. Billy quickly dropped them with 3 rounds to the chest each. "Now what?" Billy asked.

"Stairwell, to the top floor. I'll bet money that's were we'll find 0-0-4. Even if we don't, the reason we chose tonight is because the CEO of the Bradenhurst Corporation called a 'last minute emergency board meeting'. Time to crash the party" said Tony as they made their way up the stairs. When they reached the top floor, Tony kicked in the door. They found 6 guards guarding the door to the board room. Tony and Billy quickly fired, dispensing what was left in their respective magazines. They both quickly reloaded and Tony slung his BAR diagonally across his back. He drew his 45. ACP from his shoulder holster and his M9 from his hip. Billy quickly ran forward and used the butt of his rifle to burst open the door. The 2 men quickly entered through the door and 2 fired twice from his M9, dropping a guard at the far end of the room. The main conference table had 6 seats around it, 5 of them were filled.

"Hands in the air now!" ordered Billy. The 5 men, all smartly dressed in expensive Armani suits, reluctantly complied. Then they both realized something, Clark Palmer wasn't among them.

"Where is Clark Palmer?" demanded Tony.

"Go to Hell, My Name is James Huntoon, CEO of The Bradenhurst Corporation, and I will not stand to have our rights violated by a meddling and power hungry Yankee Federal Government" he said as he rose. Tony raised his 45. and put 2 rounds into Huntoon's Chest. Huntoon collapsed to the ground dead.

"Anybody else?" asked Tony. When the remaining for men remained silent, Tony continued. "Very well then, where is Clark Palmer?" demanded Tony once again.

"The Helicopter pad, he's on the helicopter pad" said one of the men as he stammered and pointed to 2 glass doors at the end of the room.

"The what" said Billy before he was cutoff by the sound of a low flying helicopter.

"Son of a Bitch" said Tony as he made hi sway to the glass doors just as the helicopter touched down. He saw Palmer get it to the back. Palmer saw him too, and gave him wave, and an evil grin. "What the hell?" said Tony as the helicopter took off. Tony turned around to tell Billy something when he saw a blinking red light from below the table. "Oh My God. Billy get out, the rooms wired" said Tony as he jumped across the table and shove Billy out of the room. Once out of the doors, he threw Billy to the ground and jumped on top of him. The Semtex charge, _no doubt supplied by Eli David and/or Michael Rivkin_ thought Tony, exploded. The blast instantly killed the 4 men still inside the conference room. It also blew out all the glass and sent a Blast of flames throughout the whole floor. "AHHHH" Tony screamed as the flames torched his back. After a few seconds, the flames receded. Tony rolled off Billy and fell to his back, which made him scream in pain once again.

"Top!" yelled Billy. "Top, you ok?" he asked. Tony gave him a nod and Billy offered him his hand. Tony reluctantly took it and Billy pulled him off the floor. then Billy saw Tony's back. The black commando gear had been completely burned off, and the flames had done a number to his back. When Tony tried to take a step forward, his legs gave out and he collapsed back to the ground. "TOP!" screamed Billy as he dropped to his knees. He quickly grabbed the sate phone from its pouch on Tony's belt.

"_Go for Freedom" _said Tali.

"Freedom, this is Hitman, need Medivac, my location post ricki tick, Movie Buff down, I say again, Movie Buff down" said Billy, frantically.

1315 hours local time, 9 March 1998, 45 miles southeast of Algiers, Algeria. Bauer's Team had made it's way to were intel said the terrorists who had launched their attack were held up. Bauer surveyed the compound with his binoculars. "Frontal assault?" asked Chester.

"No" said Bauer as he lowered the binoculars "There's a lot of bodies down there" he finished. "Cole, break out the Laser Designator" ordered Bauer.

"Yes Sir" he replied as he ran off to fetch it. A minute later, Staff Sergeant Cole came running back with The Laser Designator and it's tripod. It took Cole and Malachi about to minutes to set it up, and for Cole to lock on to the target. "Target painted sir" said Cole.

"Right" said Bauer as he picked up his radio. Before he could say anything, Chester grabbed it from him.

"I got this" he said, with a stupid smile and wagging eyebrows. He raised the radio to his mouth and said, "Badman-1, this Alpha-01 over"

_"Alpha-01, this is Badman-!, over" _ replied a voice.

"Badman-1, target is lit up like a Christmas Tree, bring the rain baby" he said, giving it his own personal touch.

The pilot laughed and said _"Copy that Alpha-01, bombs away" _. The 4 men watched as a Navy f-14 Tomcat flew over head, several LGBs (Laser Guided Bombs) fell from its rack. The bombs completely destroyed the compound and much of the surrounding area.

"Holy shit, those were Cluster Bombs" exclaimed Cole.

"Ka-Boom" said Chester, laughing. Their fun was interrupted when Bauer's sate phone rang. When he went to retrieve it, Chester cut him off once again. "I didn't let you talk on the radio with some dumb Fighter Jock, what makes you think I'm gonna let y'all talk on the phone?" asked Chester.

"Excuse me Sergeant?" asked Jack.

"Cut the crap Jack, y'all forget, I was there in Somalia when you flipped off Colonel McCoy" said Chester with a smile as Bauer laughed. "Go for Ironman" said Chester as he answered. He listened for a minute and the smile completely disappeared from his face. "Copy that Freedom, myself, Blue Star, Bandit and Phantom exfilling now" said Chester as he hung up the sate phone.

"What's going on Bro?" asked Malachi, who was confused. _Something really must have gone wrong, cause Chester never, EVER, stops smiling that stupid grin_ Malachi thought.

Chester took a deep breath before replying. "Pack up the gear, we gotta get back to Home Base, NOW!" he yelled.

"What's wrong. Sergeant 1st Class?" demanded Bauer.

"Movie Buff is down" said Chester gravely, causing everyone's jaw to drop.

**A/N- And there's the cliffhanger. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	28. Chapter 28

**A/N- Previously on "28 Seconds"- **

_Chester took a deep breath before replying. "Pack up the gear, we gotta get back to Home Base, NOW!" he yelled. _

_"What's wrong Sergeant 1__st__ Class?" demanded Bauer._

_"Movie Buff is down" said Chester gravely, causing everyone's jaw to drop_

**Chapter 28**

**Non-Permissive Environment**

1635 hours, 11 June 1998, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. "I'm so happy Three has baseball practice everyday" mumbled Kate as Tony lifted himself off her. Tony grabbed his discarded jeans off the floor and slipped them on. then he sat down on the side of the bed, with his back to Kate, he bent down and picked up his shirt. Kate reached over lightly traced the scares on his back with her finger. It had been 3 months since the explosion in Virginia. The flames had really done a number on Tony's back. _And what was his thank you? Just another Purple Heart, his third_ thought Kate. "Tony?" said Kate

"Hmmm?" he replied, looking over his shoulder.

"Is it all worth it?" she asked.

"Is what all worth it?" he asked.

"This, The Unit, the fact that you have 4 bullet holes in your upper body, one of which is over your heart, not to mention the scars on your back" she said.

"Some one has to do it Kate" he replied.

"But why you?" she asked.

"Because, I'm good at what I do, my men, my Team, Billy, Chester, and Malachi, they're my Brothers in Arms. We do what we do, so others won't have to" explained Tony as he slipped his shirt on and stood up. As Tony reached down to put on his boots, he sighed. "Do you remember what you told Meg on her wedding day?" asked Tony. Kate thought for a brief second before answering.

"Never, ever ask him to choose between his work and you, because you won't like the answer" she said. "I'm sorry Tony"

"It's ok. It ain't easy being an Army wife either" he said smiling as he bent down to give her a goodbye kiss.

1700 hours, 11 June 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Tony, Colonel Colleton, Billy, Chester, Malachi and Tali all sat around the table in the middle of the T.O.C. The topic of discussion: "The Devil's Trifecta". "Ok, what we need to do is build a case against Eli David. Not a legal one, but one that will give the President reasonable cause for a termination warrant" explained Colleton. Tali stood up and walked over to the whiteboard hanging on the wall.

"Timeline?" she asked as she picked up a dry erase marker.. Colleton nodded his approval.

"Let's, start with the basics, Eli Joshua David, born Haifa, Israel, 1949. Married once, to Miriam David, born 1950, deceased, 1983. David has 3 Children, Ziva, born 1972 and" Tony paused and looked up from the file. Tali nodded that it was ok "Tali, born 1979. He also has another child, Ari Haswari, born out of wedlock, with another woman, born 1968" said Tony. Tali wrote down all this info on the bored.

"Ok, on 14 February 1983, both Miriam David and Elena Haswari were killed in a Israeli rocket attack" said Malachi.

"Coincidence?" suggested Billy

"No such thing" replied Tony.

"9 months later, 13 November 1983, Michael Rivkin sexually assaults Ziva David in the back of a weapons carrier, on the orders of Eli David" said Malachi.

_"Yes that's it. Remember how I told you that Ziva's father, Eli, is a Big Player at Mossad?" asked Malachi. After Tony nodded yes, he continued. "Eli was trying to show that not only was he tough, but so is his daughter" after a long pause he said "When Ziva was 15, Eli hired a man, another Kidon assassin named Michael Rivkin, to…." He paused, swallowed and continued "To rape Ziva in the back of a weapons carrier" said Malachi. Tony's jaw dropped._

"Then sometime in 1993, Eli David sold Mossad intelligence reports to Somalia Warlord General Mohamed Farah Aidid" said Tony.

_"Captain, what are these?" asked Kearns as he picked up documents from the table. "What language is that?" he asked._

_"Hebrew" said Tony. After reading them over quickly he said "these are Israeli intel reports. Mossad" said Tony shocked. Tony quickly gathered the papers and stuffed them in his satchel._'

"That's right, I forgot about those" said Colleton "but wow can we prove Eli sold them?" he asked.

"Water mark in the paper" said Tali. "Every Paper manufacturer imbeds a watermark in their paper, as a sort of trade mark, the paper the reports in question were printed on paper manufactured in Holland" explained Tony.

"And from April 1990 to February 1994, Eli David was Mossad Station Chief in Amsterdam" said Tony.

"Then, on 7 September 1994, Michael Rivkin murders Master Sergeant John Hirsch, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti" said Chester. That one brought back painful memories for everyone.

_"Nice job boys" said Tony. As he did, Hirsch's Chest exploded. His blood flew everywhere, splattering over both Malachi and Tony. "JOHNNY!" Tony screamed. Hirsch's body went limp as it collapsed to the floor of the truck bed. Tony looked back to where the shot had come from. He saw Officer Rivkin, with a smirk on his face, lowering a sniper rifle._

"14 September, 1995, Michael Rivkin sexually assaults" Malachi paused "Tali" he said softly "Again, on the orders of Eli David" he said as he stood up and walked over to Tali. He embraced her in a warm hug "I'm so sorry" he whispered in her ear.

_"Did the same thing happen to you?" asked Tony with a serious look on his face. Tali remained silence, tears started to well up in her eyes, before she finally nodded. Tony placed the file he was holding on the table and slid it across to her. She opened it, and saw that it was a file on Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin and his Kidon Unit. "On the orders of your Father, Eli David, Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin, raped both you and Ziva, in order to prove that his family was quote 'tough enough to take it' unquote" he said. Tali began to breakdown into tears._

"Thank you" she said, giving him a small smile.

"8 September 1997, through the use of Mossad Officer Simon Ben-Lev family's shipping company, Eli David sells Israeli made weapons to Haitian Rebels, weapons which are later used to kill 6 Force Recon Marines" said Chester.

_"These crates originated from Haifa, take a look her" he said tapping the side of the long ammo crate, this is the symbol of Ben-Lev Shipping Company, they operate out of Haifa" Malachi informed him. _

_"Ben Lev, I've heard that name before" said Tony, pondering the name._

_"I'm sure you have, the aire to The Ben-Lev Family fortune, Simon Ben-Lev, is Michael Rivkin's #2 on his Kidon Team" he said. Malachi watched Tony's body tense up at the mention of Rivkin's name. T_

_Tony pulled out his K-bar knife from the sheath that was strapped to his right calf. "Well then" he said as he flipped the knife in his hand, "Let's see what the good Ben-Lev boy has been selling, shall we" he said as he pried open the first box. He threw open the lid and said "Galil Rifles". Malachi came over and looked, then nodded his head. The picked up the box and moved it away. In the next box they found Jericho 941 pistols and body armor. Tony let Malachi open the 3__rd__ box. _

_"Uzis" said Malachi. As he picked one up to show Tony. _

_"Uzi, Hebrew for 'my strength'" translated Tony. _

_"Impressive" said Malachi. "How many languages do you know anyway?" asked Malachi. _

_"Including English and American Sign Language, 26" said Tony nonchalantly._

_"Really?" asked Malachi_

_"Yes, really. Why are you so stunned? Don't you know like 14 or something like that?" asked Tony._

_"15" said Malachi. Malachi opened the final crate. When he did, he yelled. "Whoa! Top take a look at this" he said. Tony walked over, his eyes flew open wide._

_"Javelin Anti-tank missile launcher" said Tony. "Another of Israel's finest creations" said Tony, half sarcastically. "We can't leave these crates here. We'll take em back with us and see if Tali can pull some prints off them. Even if she can't, at least we'll have deprived the Rebs of these weapons" said Tony. _

"22 February 1998, Special Agent Clark Palmer of the Defense Security Division, sells the Security plans of Camp Washington to Officers Simon Ben-Lev and Michael Rivkin in the Village of Arwadi, Afghanistan" said Billy.

_Tony watched through his scope as the SUV, a Land Rover, sped down the road. When the vehicle reached the village, 2 men stepped out of the front seat. The Driver, Tony was able to see instantly, "Ironman, I have visual on Target 0-0-2, I repeat have eyes on Target 0-0-2, over" said Tony. He watched as the passenger slowly came into view. He was a darker skinned man, most likely of Middle Eastern decent. The man had the beginnings of a scraggly beard and he wore dark sun glasses. "What the" Tony whispered as his blood began to boil. "Ironman, I have Target 0-0-1 in my sights, a say again, I have eyes and scope on Target 0-0-1" _

"The plans are then sold to Al Qaeda operatives in Algeria, who, with Sentox VX-1 Nerve gas, provided by The DSD, use it to attack Camp Washington in Algeria" said Chester. "43 K.I.A, another 103 K.I.A" he finished.

"Is that enough?" asked Malachi. Colonel Colleton sighed.

"Look, we have more than enough for Michael Rivkin and Simon Ben-Lev. But we have nothing that can directly tie Eli David to any of this" explained Colleton.

"So Eli David is gonna get away with everything?" asked Billy

"Unless we get something on him that will warrant a termination warrant" said Colleton, grimly.

"Who says we need one?" said Tony, with a serious look on his face.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Colleton as he leaned back in his chair.

"According to Clayton Webb over at The Agency, Eli David is headed to Toronto from an intelligence summit" said Tony. "And in order to keep a low profile, he's traveling up the St. Lawrence River" said Tony. "If I can up there, I can hit him with a sniper shot" said Tony.

"Where would you take the shot?" asked Colleton. Tony stood up and walked over to the far wall, were he pulled down a large map of North America.

"Where the river is at its narrowest point" said Tony as he pointed. "The fishing Village of Riviere-du-Loup" said Tony, who was grinning an evil smile.

"You understand I can't give you permission to do this" said Tom.

"Yes Sir, which is why I'll do this alone. No backup, it's to dangerous" said Tony.

"It's also an Act of War" said Billy.

**6 Days Later **

2330 hours, 17 June 1998, Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada. Tony took several deep breaths as he saw Eli David's vessel approach. He flicked the safety off his AWP Sniper Rifle. Tony was dressed completely in black and his face was blacked out as well. He was laying on the edge of the roof of a 2-story warehouse that ran along the water's edge. Once the boat was at its closet point, the shot would be about 500 yards. Tony let out a deep breath as he brought the AWP to his shoulder. He looked down the scope and he could see Eli David in the boat's wheel house. He could see that Eli was wearing body armor, which, normally would present a problem. _Good thing I'm going for the headshot" thought Tony. _Tony quickly pulled back the bolt, to check his bullets. He nodded. He had loaded his rifle with FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds. The boat came into to range, and Tony took in a deep breath. He looked down his scope and had Eli's head in his sights. He slowly squeezed the trigger and the sniper kicked as it fired. Tony watched as the round pierced the glass.

**TO BE CONTINUED…**

**A/N- Did the round hit? Or did it miss? **

**Also i would really like to get to 60 reviews before i update again. just saying...**

**Next time on "28 Seconds" **

**Following his actions in Quebec, Tony encounters several obstacles in attempts to exfill home, but he receives help from an unlikely source. Meanwhile, Colonel Colleton must deal with the international blowback and ramifications of Tony's actions **


	29. Chapter 29

**A/N- Previously on "28 Seconds" **

2330 hours, 17 June 1998, Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada. Tony took several deep breaths as he saw Eli David's vessel approach. He flicked the safety off his AWP Sniper Rifle. Tony was dressed completely in black and his face was blacked out as well. He was laying on the edge of the roof of a 2-story warehouse that ran along the water's edge. Once the boat was at its closet point, the shot would be about 500 yards. Tony let out a deep breath as he brought the AWP to his shoulder. He looked down the scope and he could see Eli David in the boat's wheel house. He could see that Eli was wearing body armor, which normally would present a problem. _Good thing I'm going for the headshot_ thought Tony. Tony quickly pulled back the bolt, to check his bullets. He nodded. He had loaded his rifle with FMJ (Full Metal Jacket) rounds. The boat came into to range, and Tony took in a deep breath. He looked down his scope and had Eli's head in his sights. He slowly squeezed the trigger and the sniper kicked as it fired. Tony watched as the round pierced the glass.

**Chapter 29**

**End of Era**

The bullet crashed through the wheel houses window. The round went straight through the window and hit Eli David… in the shoulder. "Dammit!" yelled Tony. Tony was pissed. emotionally, Tony's body completely shut down as his training took over .he quickly policed his brass and slug his Sniper rifle over his shoulder. The shot, was in no way silenced, as Tony didn't want anything to slow down the bullet. The down side to this was it drew the attention of the people on the streets below. People were still screaming as Tony exited the building and walked down the street below. 2 Mounties came up to him on horseback.

"How it right there" they commanded. Tony quickly drew his 45 from his shoulder holster and in one motion raised it and flicked off the safety. He fired 2 shots at each of the men. Both men clutched their chests as they fell to the ground, dead. Tony placed the 45. back in its holster and continued walking. After he had cleared the main part of the town, he took off running. He sprinted through the dense woods, in an attempt to avoid main roads. After a few minutes, he was deep in the woods, were he hoped no one would try to follow him.

0630 hours, 18 June 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Malachi and Tali had been in the T.O.C all night, waiting to hear from Tony. At about, 0430, both of them had nodded off to sleep. When Colonel Colleton and Chester walked in the next morning, they found both Tali and Mal, asleep on the floor. Malachi was laid out on the floor. _The stupid fuck can sleep anywhere, just like Top_ Chester thought. Tali had fallen asleep with her head on Malachi's chest, with her left arm draped across him stomach. In turn, Malachi had his left arm wrapped around Tali's shoulder, hugging her close. Both Tom and Chester looked at each other and laughed. The sound of their laughter rose both Tali and Malachi from there slumber. They both sat up and looked at the 2 men standing before them. "Oh shit" Malachi mumbled. Tali blushed bright red. Chester burst out laughing. Colonel Colleton, however, was not as amused.

"Ya know, I was in your situation once with Meg, when we were in Naples. Except, it was Tony that roused use, not Meg's Father" said Chester smiling. Malachi responded by flipping him off. "Nothing happened"

"Any word from Movie Buff?" asked Colleton, trying to change the subject while also resisting the urge to punch Malachi's lights out.

"We've been here all night Sir, nothing yet" replied Malachi.

"Your not helping your case any" snicker Chester.

"Shut up" gritted Tali through her teeth as she punched Chester in the arm.

"Alright, turn on the news; let's see how much pity is being thrown Eli David's way" said Tom. Tali walked over to the TV and switched it on to ZNN.

_"This is Jill Waddington reporting to you live from Toronto, where Eli David, Deputy Director of the Israeli Intelligence Agency, Mossad, has just been released from the hospital, following an attempt on his life late last night" _

0640 hours, 18 June 1998, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C. "Hey Jen, come look at this" yelled Special Agent Leroy Jeathro Gibbs as he turned up the volume on the TV. His partner, Special Agent Jennifer Shepard walked over and sat down in his lap as they both listened to The ZNN news report.

_"A long gunman, a Sniper, fired one round at Eli David, as he was traveling up the St. Lawrence River towards Toronto. When his ship passed the fishing village of Riviere-du-Loup, the narrowest part of the river, the gunman fired one shot, which hit Deputy Director David in the shoulder. As the gunman fled the scene, he shot and killed 2 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officers. The gunman has been described as 6 feet, 3 inches tall, less than 200 pounds and extremely well conditioned. Canadian Military Units have already been deployed to the area in order to catch this man. Jill Waddington, ZNN" _

0700 hours, 18 June 1998, 20 miles east of Riviere-du-Loup, Quebec, Canada. Tony had been dodging Canadian Military patrols all night. He was exhausted, but he knew he had no choice but to carry on. He was making his way down a long dirt road when a truck carrying Canadian troops came tearing down the road towards him. "Shit" he said as he took off running across the filed next to him. the men driving the truck saw him and started chasing after him. The men jumped from the truck and opened fire on Tony. "Fuck" Tony yelled as a bullet tore into his side. "Mother Fucker" he screamed. _Oh No! _He thought _my accent, they'll figure out I'm an American_ he thought in horror. He slid his sniper rifle off his shoulder and grabbed his 45. "No Surrender, No Retreat" he said to his self. "AHHHHHH" he screamed as he rose up, charging at the soldiers and firing as he went. He dropped the 1st 2 men, but that was it. Then he heard a shot ring out. But it was different. It wasn't his 45. or the AK-47s being used by the Canadians. Shot after shot rang out from this unknown source. The Canadian soldiers began dropping like flies as round after round connected with Canadian flesh. Tony dove for the deck, he had no idea who was firing, and didn't want to get hit himself. He ejected the empty clip from his 45. and inserted a new one. With several of their comrades down, the remaining Canadians returned to their truck and took off. "Thank god that's over' said Tony as he rolled onto his back. "Grrrr" he grunted as he had forgotten about the bullet in his right side. He looked up and saw 2 people approaching him. the man in front, who looked to be in his mid-forties held an AK-47 in his hands. He was flanked by a young man, who looked to be able 20, who had an H&K PSG-1 Sniper Rifle. _That explains the sniper fire_ Tony thought. Not knowing if he could trust them or not, Tony raised his 45 in their direction.

"Easy Yank, we're here to help" said the elder man, in a heavy French-Canadian accent. Tony lowered his weapon to his side, but still kept his finger on the trigger. "Now, let's take a look at that wound" he said. Tony nodded.

1300 hours, 18 June 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. 12 hours after the shooting and still no contact with DiNozzo. And to make matters worse, a Canadian Military Patrol had gotten into a fire fight with a Sniper, a Sniper which the soldiers claim yelled in "American accented English". Colonel Colleton shook his head. "Damn you DiNozzo, why haven't you made contact yet?" he asked to no one in particular. He knew perfectly well why. Tony hadn't brought a sate phone or radio with him. his train of thought was derailed when his aide, 1st Lieutenant Bridget Sullivan, tapped him on the shoulder. "Yes, what is it Lieutenant Sullivan?" he asked as he turned around.

"There is a Colonel Elkanah Pershing waiting outside to see you sir" she explained. "He's from the Pentagon"

"Pershing" he said. "Do I know him from somewhere?" he asked.

"Ain't he the Asshole you threatened to shoot in Somalia?" asked Chester as he took a swig from his can of Pepsi.

_Colleton opened the flap and walked inside. _

_ "Who the hell are you?" yelled a Lieutenant Colonel with a thick Georgian accent. _

_ "Major Thomas Colleton, 2__nd __Rangers" replied Colleton._

_ "Rangers" said the Lieutenant Colonel with disgust in his voice. _

_ "You got a problem with us?" asked Colleton._

_ "Maybe I do, you South Carolina piece of shit" said the Lieutenant Colonel._

_ "Are you Lieutenant Colonel Pershing?" asked Tom, who was trying his hardest to keep his cool. _

_ "Who's asking?" he replied._

_ "You know my name" Tom replied, as he was getting ever so closer to losing his cool. _

_ "You're that South Carolina shit head that punched my good buddy Scott McCoy and got him relieved of his command" said Pershing as stood up. "Why the fuck should I help you?" he said as he spat on the ground. _

_ Colleton drew his sidearm, a Baretta 9mm, cocked it and fired a round next to Pershing. Then, he pointed the pistol right at Pershing's head and told him "Because the next one will be in your head"_

"Oh yeah, forgot about that" laughed Colleton. He stood up off the table he had been sitting on and walked to the door. when he exited he found Pershing waiting for him. "What can I do for you, Colonel Pershing?" Tom asked.

"I assume you've heard about the attempt of Eli David's life?" Pershing asked.

"Well yeah, it's been on the news non-stop all day" said Colleton.

"Where is your Executive Officer, Major Anthony D. DiNozzo?" Pershing asked.

_FUCK_ Colleton thought. "The Major is on leave" replied Tom, saying the first thing that popped into his head.

"Really? Is that a fact?" asked Pershing.

"It is" replied Colleton.

"Without his Wife and Son?" questioned Pershing.

"The Major isn't what you'd call 'a family man'" replied Tom.

"You're covering for him, aren't you" Pershing accused.

"No I'm not" replied Tom, quickly.

"Then where is he?" pressed Pershing.

"I don't know, I didn't ask" replied Tom.

"Really, because the description of the Sniper that shot Eli David, and got into a fire fight with those Canadian Soldiers, fits Major DiNozzo quite well" implied Pershing. "My life has been a living hell ever since Somalia. You and Major DiNozzo are going down for this" he said as he jabbed his finger into Tom's chest. "You'll be hearing from me" warned Pershing as he turned and left. Once he was out of earshot, Colleton called for Chester.

"Ironman, front and center" yelled Colleton. Chester came running out of the T.O.C

"What's up Boss man?" he asked.

"Get Freedom and Blue Star, that piece of shit doesn't leave this base alive" commanded Colleton, referring to Pershing.

"Yes Sir" replied Chester, in a very serious tone of voice.

1405 hours, 18 June 1998, Galtier Family Farm, 3 miles west of St.-Antonin, Quebec, Canada. Tony grunted as he sat up on the couch that his rescuer had laid him on. he looked down at his right side, both the entry and exit wounds have been taken care of quite nicely by the man's daughter, who was a nurse at the local hospital. "Merci" said Tony, thanking the girl in French.

"_You are very welcome" _she replied, also in French, as she kissed his hand. His eyes shot open wide with surprise as she did it.

"Do not worry my friend, tis a local custom" the man reassured him.

"Thank you very much Mr.…?"

"Galtier, Lucien Galtier" he said extending his hand. Tony took it and shook it firmly. "My daughter, Nicole, is the one who sewed up your wound" explain Mr. Galtier

"Who was the Sniper?" asked Tony.

"Ah" said Galtier. "That would be my oldest son, Chris" he finished. Chris stepped forward.

"You're a hell of a shot kid" said Tony with a smile.

"Merci, Monsieur DiNozzo" he said. Tony immediately reached for his gun.

"How the hell do you know my name?" demanded Tony. Chris laughed and held up a finger, signifying for Tony to wait a minute. Chris walked away and run up the stairs. He came running back down and threw something in Tony's face. Tony peeled it off his face and laughed. It was a red, Ohio State basketball jersey, with the number "1" on the front. He flipped it over and saw his name "DiNozzo Jr." written across it.

"Go Buckeyes" said Chris smiling.

"Ah yes, my son has just completed his Junior year there, he will be graduating next year" explained Lucien, proudly.

"Congrats Kid" said Tony as he extended his hand.

"Are you the man they are talking about on the news?" asked Lucien. Tony remained silent. "You Delta Force men, always paranoid"

"What makes you think I'm Delta?" asked Tony.

"Your tattoo" said Galtier, pointing to it.

"Monsieur Galtier, why did you help me?" asked Tony, who now really was a little paranoid. Galtier stood up and walked over to the mantle of his fireplace. Above it was a large flag, a Quebecoise Flag. "You're Quebecois Nationalist" said Tony.

"Wee" replied Galtier. It took a lot of courage to admit such a thing, as the Canadians treated Quebecois Nationalists like traitors, even the non-violent ones. "Lucien Galtier, Commander, St.-Antonin district, Quebecois National Army" said Galtier.

"Major Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr., US Army Delta Force" said Tony as he stood up And saluted Galtier. Although initially shocked, Galtier returned the salute. "And Yes, I am the man they are talking about on the news, which is why I need access to a radio" said Tony.

"Follow me" said Galtier.

1430 hours, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Staff Sergeant Cole was all alone in the T.O.C. It was his watch, and he was bored. "_Marshlands, this is Movie Buff, over" _cracked Tony's voice over the radio. Cole jumped up from his chair. He grabbed the headset and put it up to his ear.

"Movie Buff, this is Phantom, over. how's your leave?" he asked, remembering what Colonel Colleton had told him.

"_I've had better, but I did manage to make a few friends" _replied Tony.

"Yeah, it's a shame you missed your boat" said Cole.

"_I'll have to catch it next time" _Tony replied.

"Movie Buff, Marshlands wants you back ASAP, make it happen, his words, not mine" said Cole.

"_Copy that, Movie Buff, out" _said Tony as he signed off.

1600 hours, 18 June 1998, 8 miles north of Lizard Lick, North Carolina. As Malachi pulled the car, a beat up, 1981 Chevy Malibu off the road, he looked around; making sure that no one was in sight. He and Tali got out of the car and walked around to the truck. They where in the woods, in the middle of no where. Malachi opened the trunk, reveling a bound and gagged Colonel Elkanah Pershing. Mal and Tali dragged him out and deeper into the woods. "You Know, I was there, in Somalia. Oh, I wasn't safe behind a desk like you, but, I was in the fighting, I lost some good friends that day. You made a mistake 5 years ago by not helping us. But you wanna know what your biggest mistake was?" asked Tony. "Threatening my brother Tony" said Malachi as he pulled out his throw-away gun, a 44. Caliber Bulldog revolver. He fired all 6 shots into Pershing's chest.

Malachi and Tali spent the next 2 hours digging an 8x8x8 hole. After they did, they dumped gun and the body inside and filled it in.

**2 Days Later**

1700 hours, 20 June 1998, Colleton Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Colonel Colleton and his daughter Tali had just gotten home for the evening when there was a knock at the door. Tali was busy cooking dinner, so Tom got up from his recliner and walked to the door. "General Bowden?" said Tom, as he opened the door and found his superior, Major General Bowden standing there.

"Tom, we need to talk" he said grimly.

**1 week later**

0900 hours, 27 June, 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Everyone was assembled in the T.O.C. they were all waiting for Tony. They all looked up when they heard the door open. The door swung open and Tony stepped in. "Hey" he said, giving them an obviously fake smile. He was instantly mobbed by his friends and teammates. After the hugs and handshakes and "bro-fives", as well as kisses on the cheek from Bridget and Tali, he finally got a chance to speak. "I'm sorry that I couldn't get the job done" he said. "I failed" he said, with a tear in his eye.

"You didn't fail, my brother" said Malachi. "You only failed to succeed. We will have another chance. I assure you" said Malachi.

"Well now that, that's out of the way, I have an announcement to make, so if y'all could please, shut the fuck up" said Tom with a smile as he stepped forward. Tony was surprised to see him in full Class-A dress uniform. After a few seconds, silence returned and Tom began. "As it turns out, Movie Buff's little incursion into Quebec wasn't so clandestine. That jackass Elkanah Pershing figured it out and reported it to General Bowden" said Colleton gravely. "Fortunately, Pershing seems to have disappeared" said Colleton with ha evil smile. "So me and General Bowden have reached an agreement" said Tom, as a tear came to his eye. Tears also began to fall from Tali's eyes as well, as she already knew what was coming. Although he didn't know what was going to happen, Malachi walked over to Tali and pulled her into a warm embrace. She buried her head in his chest and began sobbing heavily. Malachi stroked her hair and tried to comfort her. It was now that everyone realized that whatever the Colonel was about to say, it wasn't going to be good. "General Bowden knows it was Tony who took the shot, and frankly, he doesn't care. But, we have to blame this on somebody. So we agreed to blame it all on Pershing and to bury the investigation in to Tony, on one condition" said Colleton. Tali, who still had her head buried in Mal's chest, reached down and squeezed his hand, looking for reassurance. Malachi immediately squeezed her hand back.

"What's the condition?" asked Tony, breaking the awkward silence.

"That I tender my resignation, effective immediately and retire" Colleton informed them. Before and one could speak Colleton held out his hand. "It's done, as of 0000 hours this morning, I am a civilian, my desk was cleaned out a week ago and my stuff has already been shipped home" he said. Then he turned to DiNozzo. "Tony, you're in charge".

"Oh Fuck" muttered Billy.

"We'll leave a marker where the country was" joked Chester, implying that the country was screwed.

"Don't worry DiNozzo, it's only temporary, until President Clinton appoints somebody else" Colleton assured him. "Bridget and Tals know all the paperwork and requisition stuff, so you won't have too much paperwork" said Colleton. Tali smiled a little when he heard her dad use the new nickname everyone had started calling her.

"What about Tali?" asked Malachi, whose heart had skipped a beat when he suddenly realized Tali might be leaving too.

"She stays, she's a Staff Sergeant in The United States Army" said Colleton. "It was an honor serving with each and every one of you" he started. He turn and started with 1st Lieutenant Sullivan. "Bridget, you are an amazing and beautiful young lady. You've been with me ever since I joined The Unit, and you are without a doubt the best aide in the Whole United States Military" he said with a tear in his eye.

"Thank you very much Colonel" she said, as tears trickled down her face. She stepped forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. As Bridget stepped back, Tom continued.

"Staff Sergeant Cole, I've only known you a few months, but from what Jack has told me, you we're instrumental in connecting the Sentox VX-1 nerve gas to Bradenhurst. I wish you luck kid" Tom said as he extended his hand.

"It was a pleasure serving under you sir" said Cole as he shook the Colonel's hand, Bauer was next.

"Jack! The last of the original Bravo. Jack, no matter what task you were given, no matter what it was, you always got the job done. And to be honest, I wouldn't be surprised if you were sitting in my chair one day" said Tom, as he once again extended his hand.

"As long as it isn't DiNozzo" said Jack with a smile as he shook Tom's hand. Billy was next.

"Billy the Kid" he said with a smile. "While I may never understand why you feel the need to use a Karabiner K98 as your sniper rifle, I will always understand your conviction to getting the job done. From one West Pointer to another, go Black Knights" he said as he shook Billy's hand.

"You're still gonna introduce me to your neighbor's daughter right?" whispered Billy.

"Oh yeah!" said Tom and he nodded his head and smiled. Then Tom turned his attention to Sergeant 1st Class Martin. "Chester, out of everyone here, I've known you the longest, ever since we served together as Rangers. I think it's also safe to say, that since I took command of The Unit, 5 years ago, you have been the biggest pain in my ass" said Colleton with a smile, causing everyone, even Tali, to laugh. "You have no idea how many late night phone calls I got from Admiral Chegwidden back when you and Meg were 1st dating. And yet, despite all that, you've have proved everybody wrong and you married yourself a fine young lady. You are like the stupid son I never had, and certainly never wanted" he joked, causing everyone to burst out laughing. "Come mere you" Tom said as he stepped forward and gave Chester a big hug.

"Thanks Dad" said Chester in one of his many stupid voices. Then he turned to Mal.

"Senior Sergeant Malachi Ben-Gidon. Ya know, I always liked you Mal, that was, until you slept with my daughter" said Tom with an evil smile.

"Hey, I told you nothing happened" protested Malachi.

"Wow, it took me going away for 2 weeks for Mal to finally grow a pair and nail Tals. I should go away more often" joked Tony. Everyone but Tom, Tali and Malachi laughed.

"I know nothing happen Mal, I'm just pulling your leg" smiled Tom. Then he got serious. "With everything that's happened with Eli David, Rivkin and Ben-Lev, it's enough to make someone think that Israelis are bad people. Well Mal, you are the counterweight to that. It's because of people like you, that Israel will thrive" smiled.

"It's been an honor Colonel" said Mal as the two men shook hands. Then Tom turned to his daughter.

"Tali. I know what love is because of you. You ARE MY DAUGHTER. Never, ever let anyone ever tell you different. You are a Colleton, maybe not by birth, but in everyone way, you are a true Colleton. I love Tali, and I will always be there for you. To walk you down the aisle at your wedding and to baby sit my grandkids when you're busy" he said smiling. Tali ran forward and jumped into her father's waiting arms.

"I love you Daddy" she cried.

"I love you too Tali" Tom said as he tightened his hug. After a minute or so, they reluctantly broke the hug. Then Tom turned to the final person, Tony. "Tony, while Chester is the son I never wanted, you were the one I did" said Colleton causing everyone to smile. "You have more medals on your chest than Eisenhower and Audie Murphy combined. You are one hell of a team leader, and it was an absolute Honor and Privilege to serve along side you" he paused. "Everyone in this room, you are all my heroes, but you Tony, you are my Hero. You are the kind of man every kid in America dreams about being" said Colleton. "And judging by the way you were holding your side when you walked in, it looks like Bridget needs to fill out the paperwork for another Purple Heart" said Colleton smiling. Tony stepped forward and engulfed Tom in a huge hug.

"The Honor, Colonel, was all mine" said Tony. Tom slapped Tony on the shoulder as he turned to leave, for the final time. "Attention to Orders!" ordered Tony as everyone snapped to attention. "Delta… Salute" he ordered as everyone saluted. Then suddenly, the Unit Women, Meg, Terri Bauer and Kate, along with Three and Kim Bauer, walked in. Tony looked surprised.

"Oh that's right, I almost forgot. There's just one more thing" said Tom as he reached into his left breast pocket. He turned to face Tony and tossed him a small, red velvet box. Tony opened it and his draw dropped as he saw what was inside. "Congratulations…. Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo" said Tom as he walked out the door, while Tony looked down at the silver oak leaves inside the box.

**A/N- PLEASE, I wanna see some reactions to Tom Colleton's departure. **

**And I know this chapter was long, but I thought Colonel Colleton deserved it. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**-OH, and don't worry, we haven't seen the last of Tom Colleton. **


	30. Chapter 30

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Embassy"- (Season 4, Episode 2)**

1930 hours, 14 September 1998, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg North Carolina. It had been 3 months since Tom Colleton had been forced into an early retirement. In those 3 months the Unit had had 0 missions, at least until today. A vial of Ebola Virus had gone missing from The Center for Disease Control's Headquarters in Atlanta Georgia. Despite the fact that it was probably just filled away in a miss-labeled box, Tony had dispatched Bandit and Phantom to check it out.

It had been a rough few months for Tali. She still performed all her duties, but she seemed like a zombie while she did them. The only person she did open up to was Malachi. Every night she would cry her eyes out as he held her in his arms. Tony felt really bad for Malachi. Although he had no concrete evidence, he suspected that Malachi had deep feelings for Tali, despite their age difference. The problem, at least what Tony perceived it to be, was that while Malachi had been with The Unit for 7 years now, he technically was still "on loan" from The Mossad, and could be called back at anytime. Thankfully, the current Mossad Director, Abraham Gold, saw no point in doing this and had let Malachi do his own thing for the past 7 years. But Director Gold was very old, and very sick, and unfortunately Eli David was in line to succeed him as Director of The Mossad.

Tony hated paperwork, and every time Bridget would come into his office with something for him to sign he would crinkle it into a paper ball and throw it all her. After the 1st few times, Bridget had wised up and made several copies of each document. It got to the point where Bridget had printed out 200 copies of a requisition form Tony had to sign. After that, Tony usually gave in and just signed the stuff. The only part of his new rank he enjoyed, other than the boost in pay, was that he could sleep in his office all day. He was asleep at his desk when Bridget walked in. "Colonel DiNozzo" she said as she rubbed his shoulder.

"Nobody calls me that and lives" he muttered as he lifted his head of the desk and growled at her.

"Colonel, you have a phone call" she said.

"Is it my wife?" he asked.

"No"

"President Clinton?"

"No"  
"Then tell them to call back" ordered Tony.

"It's Clayton Webb" she replied. "He said it's urgent"

"It's always urgent with Webb, tell him to call back" repeated Tony.

"He said if you don't pickup quote 'I'll stop sending you the Irish Whiskey every month' end quote" Bridget informed him.

"Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo" said Tony as he shot up in his chair and answered the phone. Bridget bursted out laughing and Tony motioned with his hand for her to be quiet.

_"Tony, it's Webb" _said Clayton Webb.

"And how can I be of service to The Central Incompetence Agency this week Agent Webb?" asked Tony.

"_We have a situation that requires your team's presence ASAP" _Webb informed him.

"Where?" asked Tony.

"_D.C_" said Webb

"Oh come on Webb, don't tell me this is another B.S baby sitting job that can be easily handle by The Secret Service" complained Tony.

"_The Sudanese Embassy has been taken over by an Al-Qaeda terrorist cell_" informed Webb. "_And you'll never guess who else is stuck inside_" chuckled Webb. Tony thought about it for a second before the light bulb went off.

"Why does the name, Harmon Rabb Jr. come to mind?" asked Tony rhetorically.

"_He and his partner, Major Sarah MacKenzie were guests that we're invited to the party being thrown by The Sudanese Ambassador, Kai Moshak" _explained Webb.

"So you want me and my team to storm the Embassy, kill the bad guys, rescue the hostages, save the day and the then let The Federal Bureau of Idiots take all the credit, Right?" asked Tony, rather seriously.

"_The Sudanese Embassy is Sudanese territory Tony! We can't just go barging in, it would be an act of war_" yelled Webb.

"It's Sudan, who cares?" asked Tony, half joking, half serious.

"No Tony" said Webb, all serious.

"Then what the hell do you want us there for?" asked Tony.

"_As advisors"_ said Webb.

"Vietnam advisors or advisor advisors?" asked Tony.

_"Just advisors, Tony" _said Webb.

"Come on Webb, cut the crap, why do you want us there?" asked Tony, who knew Webb all too well.

"Not, on the phone, just get here, ASAP" said Webb, confirming Tony's suspicions.

"Will do" said Tony as he hung up. "Red Cap" he yelled.

"Yes Sir" she yelled back. Tony suddenly realized she had never left the room.

"Oh, your still here. Round up Alpha, we're wheels up in 20" ordered DiNozzo.

2100 hours, 14 September 1998, outside The Sudanese Embassy, Washington D.C. Alpha Team rolled up in the black GMC Suburban that Webb had waiting for them at Andrews. Thanks to the suicidal speed at which Tony loves to drive, they manage to get to The Metro P.D Command Post rather quickly. Tony quickly surveyed the scene as they all jumped out. "Hitman, establish Overwatch from the building across the street" ordered Tony.

"On it Top" replied Billy as he retrieved his Karabiner K98 Sniper Rifle from the back of the Suburban. Then Tony turned his attention to Chester and Malachi.

"Blue Star, Ironman, get a copy of the buildings plans from Metro P.D. Ironman, I want a list of every entry and egress point and any possible blinds spots. Blue Star, I want a plan of attack, one factoring in the hostages, one without, understood?" said Tony.

"I 'm on it Top" said Mal.

"Do I have to?" moaned Chester sarcastically.

"Just move" ordered DiNozzo, who couldn't help but laugh on the inside.

"You don't gotta be a dick about it" said Chester, as he smiled and took off.

"How Tom Colleton put up with him, I'll never know" said Tony to himself as he walked over to Metro's CP, which was housed in a large tent. "WEBB!" Tony yelled as he threw back the tent flap.

"Over here" yelled Webb, who was leaning on a table, looking over some kind of blue print, which Tony instantly figured was the floor plans to The Embassy. Webb motioned with his arm for Tony to come over.

"What up Spook?" asked Tony. Webb shot him a look. "What? It what you are isn't it" said Tony.

"Just shut up and listen, or I'll tell Eli David the truth about Canada" threaten Webb.

"No you won't" countered Tony.

"Damn it, I knew that wouldn't work" smiled Webb.

"Come on Webb, cut the crap, why am I here" asked Tony. Webb looked around quickly to make sure no one was in earshot.

"We believe that Ambassador Kai Moshak, is orchestrating this whole thing" said Webb, in a voice barely above a whisper.

"To what end?" questioned Tony.

"As a distraction" said Webb, vaguely.

"A distraction for what?" asked Tony, who was now slightly annoyed.

"He has a vial of Ebola Virus" said a voice. Both Webb and Tony looked up and saw a man standing in front of them.

"Jack, what are you doing here? I thought you were in Atlanta" Tony asked.

"We were. The vial of Ebola wasn't misplaced, it was stolen. We tracked it to The Sudanese Embassy" said Staff Sergeant Jonathan Cole, who walked up next to Captain Bauer.

"Phantom, I know that you were EOD, but are you trained for this kind of thing?" Tony asked Cole.

"Yes Sir" replied Cole confidentially.

"Good" replied Tony. There conversation was then interrupted by a Metro Police Officer.

"Mr. Webb, we have a call from inside The Embassy, it's a Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr." said the Officer.

"Let me have it" said Tony, holding out his hand. "Harm n' Hammer" said Tony, half laughing as he did it.

_"Tony?" _asked Harm. "_What the hell are you doing here?" _he asked.

"Heard there was a killer party at the Embassy" said Tony, sarcastically. Then he realized that if things went south, it really could be a _killer _party. "Don't worry Harm, we'll get you out, but we're gonna need some solid Intel first" Tony reassured him.

_"There are about 20 hostiles, most AQ mixed with some of The Embassy Guards. And I think that The Ambassador is somehow involved" _said Tony.

"He is, we already know. Just hang in tight Harm" said Tony as he hung up. He turned his attention back to Webb. "We need to move, Now!" said Tony.

"What do you have in mind?" asked Webb. Tony grinned, evilly.

"A distraction" he replied.

**30 minutes later**

Tony, Chester, Malachi, Jack and Cole had all taken up positions outside the Embassy's rear door. "Hitman, this is Movie Buff, you all set?" asked Tony.

_"Hitman is ready" _replied Billy.

"Copy that" said Tony. "Ok Webb, turned the power back on, repeat, let there be light" said Tony. After a brief 15 second delay, power restored to the Embassy. The place lit up like the Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center.

_"Movie Buff, this is Hitman, I have eyes on target" _said Billy.

"Copy hat, making the call" said Tony as he pulled his sate phone from his pocket. He dialed the number that Webb had given him. he waited for a few seconds before someone answered.

_"Hello" _ replied a voice.

"Ambassador Moshak, this is Lieutenant Colonel Black, Special Forces. I'm calling to inform that you have 2 minutes to surrender yourself and release the hostages" threaten Tony.

"_And why would I do that Colonel?" _asked Moshak, smugly.

"Because one of my men has a Sniper Rifle trained on your head, and if you do not surrender in the next" Tony paused to check his watch "1 minute, 35 seconds, I will order him to put a bullet in your skull" threaten Tony.

_"I dare you to try Colonel, in fact" _ was all Tony heard before hanging up. "Lock and Load, prepare to breach" order DiNozzo. The 5 men quickly flicked the safeties off there M4 rifles. Cole quickly placed a breach charge on the door. "Phantom, Bandit, you're on the virus. Ironman and Blue Star, the hostages" instructed Tony. Tony let out a deep breath "Hitman, take the shot" ordered Tony. 3 seconds later, a shot rang out. "Breach, breach, breach" yelled Tony. Cole hit the detonator and the door exploded. The 5 men quickly rushed in. on a hunch that Moshak would have the virus with him, Jack and Cole quickly made there way up the stairs to the Ambassador's office. Chester and Malachi quickly went for the main dinning room, where they figured the hostages were being held. Gun shots rang out from both locations. Tony quickly began searching the other rooms. He was looking for one room in particular. He found the one he was looking for and kicked the door in. he opened fire on the 3 men standing inside. Then he turned to the wall of TV monitors. "No evidence" Tony mumbled as he shot up the TVs. He quickly walked over to the VCRs and ejected all the tapes that would have footage of his men. He took each tape individually and ripped out the film, before setting them all on fire. Then his radio cracked.

_"This is Phantom, precious cargo is secure, repeat, package is secure" _said Cole.

"Copy that Phantom, good work" replied Tony. More gunshots erupted from the hallway. Tony quickly inserted a new clip into his M4 and rushed out., he opened fire on 2 more men, both of them dressed in Sudanese Military uniforms, which meant that they were Embassy Guards. After a few more shots from down the hall, Tony's radio cracked again.

"_This is Blue Star, hostages secure, repeat, hostages secure" _ said Malachi, proudly.

"Copy that Blue Star, any casualties, over?" asked Tony.

_"Negative Movie Buff, only minor scrapes and bruises, over" _replied Senior Sergeant Ben-Gidon. Tony looked up as FBI and Metro SWAT entered the building.

"The losers are here, lets go home boys" said Tony. As he listened to a chorus of "Copy that" he slung his M4 over his shoulder and started walking back towards the door. An FBI SWAT Officer raised his weapon and pointed it at Tony.

"Let me see your hands" the SWAT Officer ordered.

"Fuck off" said Tony as he shoved the SWAT Officer out of his way. He heard a laugh come from the door in front of him, as Clayton Webb walked through it.

"Always a pistol aren't ya Tony" said Webb.

"Fuck you too Webb" said Tony as he flipped him off.

"Hell of a job Tony, Hell of a job" repeated Webb. "Ya know if you weren't in Delta, you'd be famous right about now" said Webb. Tony just shrugged his shoulders and held out his hands.

"C'est la Vie" said Tony as he smiled and walked out. He checked his watch, it read 2200 hours. Just then, Tony sate phone rang. "Go for Movie Buff" he said as he answered.

_"Movie Buff, this is Freedom. We just saw the news, good job Sir" _said Tali.

"Thanks Freedom, but is that really why you called me?" asked Tony.

_"No Sir, we just received word, Colonel Colleton's replacement has been named and he is en-route to Home Base" _Tali informed him.

"Ok, take down all the pictures off the kill wall, except 0-0-4. Retrieve all the evidence we have on the other 3 targets and stash them somewhere safe. I don't want this new guy to know anything until we're sure we can trust him" Tony ordered.

"_Already done" _replied Tali. From the tone of her voice, Tony could tell she was smiling.

"That's my girl" replied Tony. "We'll be back in a few hours" Tony informed her. "I'll see you then.

"_Copy that Sir" _ replied Tali.

"Oh, Tals, what's this guys name?" asked Tony. There was a few seconds of Silence before she answered.

"_Bell, Colonel Merton Bell" _

**A/N- I'll let y'all chew on that one for a while. **

**Thank you guys so much for the reviews. It's nice to know that you guys, and ladies like my work, well most of you anyway. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	31. Chapter 31

**Previously, on "28 Seconds" –**

"Go for Movie Buff" he said as he answered.

_"Movie Buff, this is Freedom. We just saw the news, good job Sir" _said Tali.

"Thanks Freedom, but is that really why you called me?" asked Tony.

_"No Sir, we just received word, Colonel Colleton's replacement has been named and he is en-route to Home Base" _Tali informed him.

"Ok, take down all the pictures off the kill wall, except 0-0-4. Retrieve all the evidence we have on the other 3 targets and stash them somewhere safe. I don't want this new guy to know anything until we're sure we can trust him" Tony ordered.

"_Already done" _replied Tali. From the tone of her voice, Tony could tell she was smiling.

"That's my girl" replied Tony. "We'll be back in a few hours" Tony informed her. "I'll see you then.

"_Copy that Sir" _replied Tali.

"Oh, Tals, what's this guys name?" asked Tony. There was a few seconds of Silence before she answered.

"_Bell, Colonel Merton Bell" _

**The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Going After Francesca" (Season 4, Episode 4)**

The flight back from D.C had been and interesting one. There was much debate between the 6 men about whether of not this Colonel Bell could be trusted. "What makes you guys think you can't trust him?" asked Cole. Like Billy, Cole had only served under Tom Colleton, who was a damn fine Commanding Officer. But Tony, Jack and Malachi knew better, as they had served under the arrogant jackass Scott McCoy. And while Chester hadn't served under McCoy, he was there when Bauer flipped him off. he knew how bad things were under McCoy.

"This new guy is a political appointee" explained Bauer. "For all we know, he's never even seen combat"

"But wasn't Colonel Colleton appointed by The President too?" asked Billy.

"Colonel Colleton was made The Unit's CO during Operation Gothic Serpent by General Garrison. After Somalia, The Rangers and Delta were seen by the general public as martyrs, so it would have been Political suicide for President Clinton to challenge Garrison" explained Tony.

The debate continued for the reminder of the flight home.

0105 hours, 15 September 1998, Main flight line, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. When the 6 men deplaned, Tony sent Billy and Cole home to get some sleep. The remaining 4 men were met on the flight by Tali, who had driven up in her classic black 1968 Pontiac GTO, which Tony and Malachi had helped her restore. Sitting on the hood of the GTO were 5 cups and a file folder. "Tals, that better be coffee, cause we all in for a long night" said Tony, who was exhausted.

"Tony, coffee, milk, and the same for Malachi and Jack" she said handing them there coffees. "And Chester, one Irish Coffee" she said, sounding less than amused. Chester smiled as he took it from her and took a sip.

"Irish?" asked Malachi.

"It means it has alcohol in it" said Tony. Then he turned to Chester. "Really Ironman, Irish?" Tony asked.

"Well I wanted to make it Belgian, but the waffles wouldn't fit in the cup" said Chester, which caused everyone to laugh.

"Alright come on, lets get this done." Said Tony, who pulled a flash light from his pack. "Is that Colonel Bell's file?" Tony asked, pointing to the file folder Tali had brought.

"Yep" said Tali as she slid it over to him.

"He ever seen Combat?" asked Bauer.

"Dude, I don't think he's ever even heard shots fired in anger" said Tony, laughing.

"Really?" asked Jack.

"Here, see for ya self" said Tony as he passed the file over to him.

"Looks like he's been playing the political game his whole life, ever since he graduated form Oklahoma University in 1975" said Jack as he read the file. "Wow, look at these APFT scores" said Jack. "180, the bare minimum"

"You can get that low?" asked Tony.

"Not in The Unit you can't" said jack. In the Unit, you needed a score of at least 270 to be an operator. Tony, had maintained a perfect Score during his entire Military career, 300.

"So how much do we tell him?" asked Chester. Tony and Jack looked at each other and nodded.

"Nothing" they both replied at the same time. Tony checked his watch.

"Ok, its 0130, our wives are already gonna kill us, lets not make it worse" said Tony as he closed Bell's file.

**2 months later**

1125 hours local time, 12 November 1998, Gaeta, Italy. It had been a rough transition for Tony. Now to be honest, he hated being in charge, but he hated serving under Colonel Bell. In Tony's opinion, Bell was a moron and he was going to get people killed. in the 2months under Bell's command, Tony's Team hadn't been sent out once. In fact since Colonel Colleton left, the only assignment they'd had only 2 assignments, which The missing vial of Ebola and The Embassy thing. "The Embassy thing? Really? Are you that lazy, that you can't say 'hostage crisis at The Sudanese Embassy?" asked Kate as she and Tony were enjoying a late morning cup of coffee in the lovely Italian sun. I had gotten to the point with Bell where Tony couldn't take it anymore. So he took a 2 week leave, packed his bags and took Kate with him for a nice relaxing visit to Italy.

"It was my mission Kate I can call it what I want" protested Tony. Kate giggled as she put down her coffee cup. She got up and moved into Tony's lap. She rested her head over his heart.

"I'm just glad you came back ok" she whispered as she squeezed his hand with her own. Tony squeezed her hand back as he intertwined their fingers. With his free hand, he tilted up her chin and gave her a quick kiss of the lips.

"I love you" he said to her.

"I love you too" she said as she kissed him back. Then Tony noticed something.

"Hey look, it's Cheggy" said Tony pointing. Across the street, walking towards the fountain was a US Navy Admiral, dressed in his dress whites, being escorted by a young, mid-20s red headed girl.

"Who?" asked Kate.

"Cheggy" repeated Tony. Seeing the look on his wife's face Tony explained. "Rear Admiral Upper Half Albert Jeathro Chegwidden, Judge Advocate General of the United States Navy"

"Meg's former CO?" asked Kate, wanting clarification.

"Yep" replied Tony. "Wanna go say hi?" Tony asked her.

"If you flirt with that girl" warned Kate, as she jabbed her finger into his chest. Tony only grinned his 1000-watt smile as he reached into his pocket to pay for the coffees. _It's been a long time since I've seen that smile_ though Kate. She was happy that Tony was finally relaxing again. Ever since he was nearly blown up back in March he had been on edge. It was good to see him relaxing for a change. Tony stood up and took his wife's hand.

"Come on" he said with a huge grin as he pulled her out of the chair. They quickly jogged across the street. They walked down the street hand-in-hand as they approached the fountain. "Cheggy! Hey Cheggy!" Tony called out, but Admiral Chegwidden didn't hear him, he was too busy yelling at 2 sailors by the fountain. "Oh Cheggy, always a stickler for rules" said Tony quietly, so only his wife could hear.

"Ok, you really need to stop calling him Cheggy" suggested Kate as she giggled.

"Hey!" yelled Tony as one of the sailors Chegwidden was reprimanding slugged him the face. The 2 sailors quickly over powered the man as a white van screeched to a halt in front of them. The 2 sailors grabbed the girl who was with Admiral Chegwidden and forced into the van as she kicked and screamed. "Hey!" Tony yelled as he broke out running, drawing his 45. from his waist band. As the van took off, Tony fired 4 shots at the speeding van. Tony quickly rushed over to Admiral Chegwidden. "You ok Admiral?" Tony asked.

"Yes I'm fine damn it, we have to help Francesca" AJ yelled.

"Francesca? Who's Francesca? The Girl?" Tony asked.

"Yes, she's my daughter, replied The Admiral, gravely. Tony stood there for a second, utterly shocked.

"Daughter?" questioned Tony.

"Yes, Francesca Parretti, it's her step father's last name" replied Chegwidden. That made Tony think for a second. He had heard the name "Parretti" before, but he couldn't remember where. Then it hit him like a ton of bricks. "Damn it DiNozzo, what the hell are you doing here?" asked Chegwidden, who was surprised to see Tony.

"I'm on leave" Tony informed him as Kate reached his side "With my Wife, Kate" he finished. "Admiral, what is Francesca's Step Father's first name?" Tony asked.

"Um… Vittorio. Why?" asked Chegwidden.

"Vittorio Parretti of Milan?" Tony asked, wanting to be sure.

"Yes why?" Chegwidden asked, now he was really confused.

"La Costranosta" said Tony. "The Mafia" he clarified. "The Parretti Family is one of the largest in Italy" explained Tony. He reached down and grabbed The Admiral's arm, pulling him off the ground. "Come on Cheggy, we got work to do" said Tony. "Is Lieutenant Commander Rabb here too?" asked Tony.

"Yes, he's out on The U.S.S Gilchrest, in the harbor" replied AJ. Tony turned to his wife.

"Kate, go down the Marina, and get a message to Harm, get him off that ship and to the dock, then both of you meet us in Milan" instructed Tony.

"Milan?" asked Chegwidden.

"The Parretti Family Villa" clarified Tony.

**3 Hours Later**

1430 hours local time, 12 November 1998, Parretti Family Villa, 3 miles northeast of Milan, Italy. Vittorio Parretti was sitting behind his desk in his office when Admiral Chegwidden and Tony burst through the door. "AJ, what is the meaning of this?" demanded Parretti, speaking in his very thick Italian accent.

"His daughter has been kidnapped" answered Tony, emphasizing the word "His".

"This is no fault of mine" said Parretti, defending himself.

"Oh it's not it is?" asked Tony rhetorically and sarcastically. "Is that a fact…? Don Parretti?" asked Tony.

"Who is this man AJ? How dare he speak to me in such a disrespectful manner" demanded Parretti.

_"I am the man who is going to kill you if you don't give us the answers we're looking for" _replied Tony, in his perfect Italian, knowing full well that Chegwidden also understood it. "Now then, who has Francesca?" Tony demanded.

"You do not scare me" replied Parretti. Tony pulled out his 45. he raised it and fired a round off next to Parretti's head. Parretti screamed like a 5 year old girl. "Ok, I tell you. The Balboni's they have her" replied the very scared Parretti.

"How do you know that?" demanded Chegwidden, who had been quiet up to that point.

"A deal went bad, The Balboni's wanted be dead. So I gave them something else…" said Parretti.

"You gave them my daughter!" yelled AJ.

"They wanted me dead!" countered Parretti, trying to defend himself.

"Next time, call me, I'll save them the trouble" said Tony, calmly as he raised his weapon. He fired the remaining two bullets in his clip into Parretti's head. As he lowered his weapon he looked at Chegwidden. "We're gonna get her back Admiral. Now come on, we have work to do"

**6 Hours later**

2045 hours local time, 12 November 1998, Pier 3, Port of Gaeta, Gaeta, Italy. After meeting up with Harm, they made their way back to Gaeta. Through on of Tony's friends in The Italian Ant-Terror Police, they had been provided with H&K G36 Assault Rifles, S.P.A.S-12 pump-action shotguns, Glock-17 Pistols, and, at Tony's special request, a Steyr Scout Sniper Rifle, with an attachable silencer. Thanks to Tali, her computers, and her magic fingers, she did some digging and found out that The Balboni Family owned a waterfront warehouse in Gaeta. When they got there, they discovered that the warehouse was under heavy guard. "This has to be the place" said Tony, looking through his binoculars. "Harm, Admiral, take the G-36s and get into position, I'll take out the guards outside with the sniper rifle" said Tony.

"Hell, considering how many international laws we're about to break, you might as well call me AJ" said Chegwidden as they got their weapons out of the trunk of their car.

"What about" was all Tony was able to say before The Admiral cut him off.

"Tony" said AJ, putting his hand on Tony's shoulder "I said AJ. If you ever call me 'Cheggy' again, I'll ring you're neck" said Chegwidden, tightening his grip. Tony reached up and forcefully removed AJ's hand from his shoulder.

"Good luck" said Tony. The 3 men split up. Tony made his way to a watch tower on the other side of the pier. Once he saw that AJ and Harm were in position, he took careful aim with his sniper rifle. There were 4 guards outside the warehouse, each carrying Uzi submachine guns. With careful aim, and the guards' head in his scope, Tony squeezed the trigger. The round bursted from the barrel and zipped into the guards left temple, killing him instantly. Tony quickly worked the bolt, chambering the next round. He took quick aim again and fired, dropping the second guard. Tony fired 2 more shots, dropping the remaining guards.

He quickly dropped the sniper rifle and descended from the tower. With the S.P.A.S-12 Shotgun in hand, he ran to the other side of the pier where AJ and Harm were waiting for him. "You boys ready?" Tony asked them as he came up.

"Ready" they both replied.

"Ok then, let's move" said Tony. The 3 men quickly and quietly made their way into the warehouse. AJ and harm opened up immediately on a group of guards. "No wait" said Tony, but there was no stopping them now. Tony quickly scrambled over a stack of crates and fired at the backs of 2 more guards. With those 2 down, Tony pumped the action and ejected the spent shell. Then Tony heard Harm cry out in pain. Tony quickly ran over to check on him. "Harm!" he yelled. When he got there, he found AJ tending to Harm's leg wound. Then he saw it, a man was holding a knife to Francesca Parretti's throat.

"Drop your weapon, or she die" said the man in a thick Italian accent. Tony let the shotgun fall from his hands and he dropped to one knee.

"You ok Harm?" Tony asked as he placed his left arm on Harm's shoulder. As he did, he let him right arm fall to his own ankle, as he slowly pulled his Bowie knife from its sheath. With knife in hand, concealed by his leg, Tony slowly rose. "Your first mistake, was taking that girl, your second, was holding a knife to her throat. But your third and final mistake, was underestimating me" said Tony as the Bowie Knife flew from his hand. It sailed through the air, catching the man in the right eye. The knife the man had been holding fell to the floor as both of his hands went to his eye. The blade had cut deep in the man's face. He felt backwards onto, dead. Francesca ran forward to her father.

"Papa, are you ok?" she asked. Tony didn't stick around for the rest of the conversation. He walked over to man's now dead body and retrieved his knife. After wiping the blade clean on the man's suit, he placed it back in its sheath. As he was walking away, The Italian Anti-Terror Police entered the warehouse, Tony ignored them and just kept walking. When he got to the end of the pier, he found Kate waiting for him.

"Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr. Saved the day again have we?" she asked.

"Ya know, I shouldn't be talking to you, my wife wouldn't like it" he joked as he pulled her into a tight hug. "I love you" he whispered in her ear.

"I love you too" she whispered back. She wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm yours Movie Buff, yours and no one else's" she whispered seductively. Tony grinned as he placed one of his arms and scooped her up bridal style. He kissed deeply as they walked back to their hotel.

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	32. Chapter 32

**A/N- The following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Act of Terror"- (Season 4, Episode 6)**

0200 hours, 8 December 1998, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The blaring of the Base alarm jarred Tony from his sleep. It took him half a second to realize what it was. "Aw Fuck!" yelled Tony as he searched the floor for his pants. It took him 30 seconds to put them on, and then put on his boots.

"Mmmmm, Tony, what the hell is that?" mumbled Kate as she used her pillow to cover her ears. As Tony was putting on his shirt, his son, Three, came in the room. "Three" said Tony as he handed Him his keys, "get 'Ziva' outta the lock box" he ordered him.

"Yes Sir" replied his son as he disappeared through the door. Tony smirked as he thought of what Malachi had told him about his "Ziva"

**2 Weeks Earlier**

_1315 hours, 24 November, Unit Garage, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Malachi had just finished his usual Friday lunch with Tali when the two of them rolled up into the garage in Malachi's classic white 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS. After living in America for just about 8 years, Malachi finally gave in a bought a car, which Tony and Three had helped him restore. "Hey Top" yelled Mal as he slammed the driver's door shut. "What are you working on?" he asked, seeing Tony had something clamped in a vise. _

_ "Yeah Tony, what ya up to?" asked Tali, who was clearly suffering from a caffeine rush. She took a long sip of her oversized beverage as Tony turned around. _

_ "Jesus Christ Tals" exclaimed Tony as he saw her. She was drinking a 7-11 Double Gulp of Mountain Dew, a drink which had been introduced to her by Tony's son, Three. _

_ "What?" she asked, with a huge grin on her face. She took another long sip. Tony watched as the green liquid was sucked up the green straw. _

_ "I should beat my son for introducing that crap to you" said Tony, pointing to the Mountain Dew. _

_ "But it's soooooooo good" she protested, intentionally stretching out the word "so". Tony sighed and went back to his work. Malachi walked over and looked over Tony's shoulder._

_ "Really?" he asked. "You're naming it Ziva?" asked Malachi._

_ "It's my choice Mal, so fuck off" replied Tony. Then Tony had an evil idea. "Hey Mal, you could always name yours Tali" whispered Tony. _

_ "Fuck you" said Mal as he punched Tony in the arm. _

**Present Day**

With his go-bag over his shoulder, Tony quickly rushed out to the street, where his blue, 1967 Ford Mustang was parked. Across the street, Chester was rushing out to his black, 1986 Chevy K-5 Blazer. "Top, what's going on?" he yelled over the shrill of the sirens.

"I don't now, get everyone to the T.O.C post ricki-tick" ordered DiNozzo.

"Yes Sir" replied Chester.

"Ironman" yelled Tony.

"Yeah" replied Chester as he turned around.

"Does Meg still have her Baretta?" Tony asked.

"Of course" Chester replied.

"Ok, Rule 44: First things first, round up the wives and kids" ordered Tony. "Have Meg bring em all to my house, Three is there, he'll have her back"

"Copy that, where did that come from?" asked Chester

"That Navy Cop, Gibbs, heard him say it once" Tony informed him. Tony rushed back over to his Car. He jumped in, started it and revved the engine. As he did, Three came running up and slid Tony's scatter gun through the open passenger side window.

"Here's 'Ziva'" said Three with a look of concern on his face.

"Three, get my Shotgun out of the lock box too. Aunt Meg is coming over with everyone's family. Watch her back" said Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied Three. Then he leaned into the open window. "Be careful Dad" he said.

"Strength and Honor" said Tony as he extended his hand. Three took it and squeezed hard.

"Strength and Honor" Three replied. With that, Tony put The Mustang into gear and sped off.

When Tony pulled into the Unit Compound, Malachi's Chevelle and Tali's GTO were already there. Tony quickly parked and rushed inside. As he did, Chester pulled in, in his K-5 Blazer, with jack in his Suburban right behind. The 3 men burst through the doors into the T.O.C where everyone was already waiting for them. "What the hell is with the alarm" asked Tony.

"We're looking at simultaneous Terrorist Attacks in Riyadh. The 1st was on a Diplomatic Hotel, housing mostly U.S Citizens. The 2nd was a bomb, planted on the hull of The U.S.S Wake Island. And the 3rd was" Bridget paused "The U.S Consul General in Riyadh, was assassinated, by a sniper" she informed them.

"Oh my God" replied Chester. Tony turned to Colonel Bell.

"What are our orders Sir" Tony asked Colonel Bell. Colonel Bell looked down, not making eye contact with Tony. "Colonel" Tony yelled. Bell looked up at him, and remained silent. "That's it, everybody gear up" Tony ordered. Then he looked over at Bridget. "Red Cap, I want a bird on the tarmac, wheels up in 20" ordered Tony.

"Yes Sir" she replied. With that, everyone left the room, except for Tony, Colonel Bell and Tali. Tony just stood there with his arms crossed.

"Bell, if you can't handle this, then get out now, because hesitation like that is gonna get somebody killed" said Tony.

"Excuse Me, _Lieutenant _Colonel" said Bell.

"You heard me" replied Tony. "Get your head outta your ass" said Tony. Then, he turned to Tali and said "I'm gonna need you in the field for this one Tals, you up for it" Tony asked her.

"I'm a Colleton, we're always up for it" she replied. Hearing that made Tony grin his 1000-watt smile. Tony always loved hearing Tali say things like that. As far as Tony could tell, she had completely thrown off the shackles of her old life in Israel.

**13 Hours Later**

0000 hours local time, 9 December 1998, U.S.S Wake Island, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It was midnight when The Unit's COD touched down on the deck of The Wake Island. "Ok, listen up" yelled Tony. "Bravo Team" he yelled looking at Jack and Cole. "I want you 2 to handle the Wake Island. Phantom, you were EOD; I want to know everything you can find. What type of explosives were used, type of detonator, everything" ordered Tony.

"Yes Sir" they both replied. Then Tony turned To Billy.

"Hitman, take Ironman and Blue Star and check out the Hotel" Tony ordered.

"Right" Billy replied. As Billy got up, Tony put his hand on Billy's shoulder.

"I'm counting on you Kid, don't disappoint me" Tony whispered into Billy's ear.

"I won't let you done Top" Billy assured him. Then Tony finally spoke to Tali.

"Freedom, you're with me" he said.

"Where we going?" she asked.

"US Consulate" Tony replied.

0030 hours local time, 9 December 1998, U.S.S Wake Island, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. After the Wake Island's Master-at-Arms had provided them with Scuba gear, Cole put it on and dove down to the point of ignition. With the scuba tank on his back and waterproof flashlight in hand, Cole dove down into the surprisingly warm water. When Cole got down there, he was shocked at what he found. The whole had blasted right through the hull of the ship. He took mental notes of everything he saw and he ripped off a piece of jagged metal. With that done he took out his underwater camera and used up the whole roll of film taking pictures. Realizing that that was all he could do, Cole floated back to the surface, where Captain Bauer was waiting with a Zodiac. "What did you find?" asked Jack as he pulled Cole out of the water.

"It's not good Top" replied Cole, using the nickname for a Unit Team Leader. "From the blast patterns, scorch marks and the amount of damage, it's defiantly Semtex" Cole informed him.

"Ok, how many countries manufacture that worldwide?" Jack asked.

"Just about all of them" said Cole, nodding his head.

"Terrific" Jack muttered.

"There's something else through" said Cole as he dropped the scuba tank off his back.

"What?" Jack asked.

"The Semtex, it wasn't your typical 3rd world composition, this was some high grade shit" said Cole.

"So does that mean it was made by some kind of 3rd party, like a private company?" asked Jack.

"Not likely, although possible, but considering where we are, I'd say your best guess is… Israel" said Cole.

0110 hours local time, 9 December 1998, Embassy Hotel, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. When Billy, Chester and Malachi pulled up to the Hotel in the GMC Suburban supplied by the Consulate, their stomachs turned. The blast had come from the upper floors of the hotel. Bodies had been blown out of windows to the street below. As they all got out of the Suburban, Billy knew he had to act. "Ironman" Billy paused as he sighed "get me a body count will ya" he ordered.

"Yes Sir" replied Chester. Chester knew how hard this was for Billy. It was his 1st time being in the field being in charge.

"Blue Star, get me a point of origin for the blast and then shoot a roll of film, gather as much evidence as you can for Red Cap and Freedom to run" Billy ordered.

"On it" Mal replied.

0130 hours local time, 9 December 1998, United States Consulate, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Marine Guards at the Consulate were on high alert when Tony and Tali arrived. When they walked inside, they were greeted by a man in a very expensive suit. "Steve McLaren, Deputy Consul General" he said.

"Lieutenant Colonel Black, Sergeant White, Special Forces" replied Tony. "Now, we have very little time if we're going to get the people responsible. Where was the Consul General when he was hit?" he asked.

"In his office" replied McLaren.

"Show us" instructed Tony.

"Of course, but NCIS has already completed their investigation" said McLaren as he lead them up a flight of stairs.

"Well, we're here to double check their work" said Tali. When they reached their office, McLaren opened the door. Inside there were 2 NCIS Agents taking photographs.

"Well I'll be damned" said Tony when he walked in. "Gunny" he said. One of the agents looked up at him and smiled.

"Major DiNozzo" said NCIS Special Agent Leroy Jeathro Gibbs.

"He ain't a Major no more" said Tali, in her South Carolina drawl, which once again made Tony grin his 1000-watt smile.

"So Uncle Sam finally wised up and bust your six back down to Captain" joked Gibbs.

"It the other way" said Tali as she held up her thumb.

"You're kidding? You're a Lieutenant Colonel?" asked Gibbs. Tony nodded his head confidently. Gibbs turned around to talk to his partner. "Hey Jen, come mere, I got somebody I want you to meet" he said. Gibbs' partner, a beautiful red-head walked forward.

"Special Agent Jennifer Shepard, NCIS" she said as she extended her hand. Tony's face went white. He'd seen her before.

_** '**__Where am I' Tony thought as he walked around. He was dressed in civvies, but he was stuck in the middle of the Desert. In the distance, there was an old, run-down and abandoned diner. Being the only structure he could see, Tony began to walk towards it. As he approached, he heard gun shots. A mix of AK-47s, Uzis, 45. ACPs and Sig Sauers and even an M-60. Hearing this, Tony started running for the building. He reached for his weapon when he realized something, he didn't have one. "What the hell?" he yelled when he realized he wasn't even wearing his holster. As he got closer he heard voices. _

_ "Run Aunt Jenny! RUN!" yelled a familiar voice. _

_ "Three?" asked Tony. Two persons emerged from the diner, a woman, who looked to be in her mid-50s with luscious red hair, and a young man, mid-20s, with a full beard and mustache. 'It can't be' Tony thought. It looked like a 25-year old version of his son. _

_ Tony watched as the women stopped running, turned around and raise her gun, a P-226 Sig Sauer. As she went to fire, a bullet struck her in the side of the head. The side of her head exploded and her bloody collapsed to the ground. "JENNY!" the man screamed._

As Jenny went to lower her hand, Tony quickly snapped out of his thoughts and shook Jenny's hand. "Lieutenant Colonel Anthony Dominick DiNozzo Jr." he said. Gibbs had watched what had transpired.

"Have you 2 met before?" Gibbs asked.

"No" Jenny replied, just as Tony was saying "Yes". Jenny looked at him like he had 2 heads.

"I'm sorry, of course we haven't met before" said Tony shaking his head.

"So, Agent Gibbs, what can you tell us about the shooter?" Tali asked, trying to get back on track.

"Nothing yet, except that he's an expert marksmen, this was no Jihadist that got off a lucky shot" said Gibbs.

"Shell casings?" Tony asked. Gibbs shook his head.

"Only one round was fired. And we haven't been cleared to leave the Consulate yet" said Gibbs.

"We'll take care of it" said Tony. "Where did the shot come from?" he asked.

"There' said Gibbs as he pointed across the street to a multi-level high rise.

Because Agents Gibbs and Shepard weren't cleared to leave the Consulate, Tony and Tali took over the investigation. Based on the trajectory of the bullet, Tali calculated that the shot came form the 8th floor. With their weapons drawn, Tali and Tony cleared out the floor. "Anything?" Tony yelled.

"Negative" she yelled. "Wait" she corrected herself. "I got a shell casing" she yelled.

"Caliber?" Tony asked as he hustled up to her.

"7.62mm" she said. "You know what kind of sniper rifle uses that?" she asked. Tony could tell from her voice that she already knew the answer.

"To my knowledge, a Dragonov SVD" he replied.

"Do you know what else?" she asked.

"No, but I have a feeling you do" Tony replied.

"WA 2000" she informed him. "Which is what fired this particular round" she said.

"How can you tell that?" Tony asked, suspiciously.

"The hammer mark" she said pointing to the back of the casing. "When I was in Mossad, I was trained to fire one" she said, as a tear came to her eye. Tony pulled her into a tight embrace.

**2 Days later**

0745 hours local time, 11 December 1998, United States Consulate, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. All the evidence they collected had all pointed top one place, Israel. Tony had had all the evidence shipped back to Bridget at Fort Bragg. Until they received word back, alls they could do was sit tight. Bridget had easily been able trace the Semtex back to Israel, but even still, that wasn't what Tony was looking for. Whoever the sniper was had coordinated with the terror bombings. That's who Tony wanted, the sniper. Agents Gibbs and Shepard were long gone and Tony had ordered Bravo team to escort the evidence back to Red Cap. Alpha Team and Tali were all sitting around the conference table in The Consul Generals office when there was a knock at the door. "Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo?" asked a Marine.

"What is it Marine?" asked Tony.

"There's a secure call coming in for you Sir" said The Marine. "You can take it on the phone on the desk" said The Marine, pointing to The Consul General's desk.

"Thank you Marine that will be all" said Tony.

"Yes Sir" replied The Marine as he saluted. Tony returned the salute as the Marine exited, closing the door behind him. Tony walked over to the desk and picked up the cordless phone.

"Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo" he said.

"_It's Lieutenant Sullivan, I have an ID on the shooter" _she said.

"Excellent work Lieutenant, who is the bastard" Tony asked. Everyone leaned toward him as Tony waited for an answer. What felt like hours, was in reality, only 15 seconds. "Thank You Lieutenant that will be all" said Tony as he pressed the end button. He turned and looked at his team. They all had eager looks of anticipation on their faces. They watched as Tony squeezed the phone in his hand, as if he was trying to crush it. Suddenly, without warning, Tony threw thee phone across the room and it smashed into the far wall. By the look on Tony's face, both Chester and Malachi only needed one guess as to who the shooter was. There was a long silence. "Rivkin"

**A/N- Next time on "28 Seconds" –**

** When presented with another opportunity to kill Eli David, how far will Tony go in order to accomplish his mission? Meanwhile, Tali's background is called in question by Colonel Bell, leaving only Malachi to stand up for her. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33**

**Anytime…Anywhere**

0830 hours local time, 6 January 1999, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. "Where is she?" Chester asked as he and Tony stood watching the fishing boats leave for the day.

"Just calm down Ironman, she'll be here" Tony reassured him.

"You sure we can trust this girl Top?" Chester asked. Tony walked forward and slapped him upside the head. "I'll take that as a yes" said Chester. They were both dressed in civvies and the hot Israeli was beating down on them. Out of the corner of his eye, Tony saw someone walking towards them.

"Ironman, 4 o'clock, black t-shirt, blonde hair" Tony said quietly.

"I see her" he replied.

"You know what to do" Tony instructed as he walked away. Chester bend down as if to tie his shoe as the young girl approached. The young girl, who couldn't have been older than 16 approached him.

"It was a beautiful night last night, I even saw a _Blue Star" _she said, using Malachi's call sign.

"Interesting, I spent my night listening to The Black Sabbath song 'Ironman'" Chester replied, using his own callsign. The girl smile as the cool breeze blew her long blonde hair to one side.

"Liat Tuvia" she said as Chester stood up, giving Tony a slight nod. Tony walked forward, his hand on his gun, which was tucked in his waistband.

"Slowly, lift your lower right pant leg" Tony instructed her when he approached. Liat instantly realized why he had asked that and complied. She pulled up the right pant leg of her jeans, revealing her right ankle. On it was a large red "O", with a black number "1" in the middle. Tony smiled. "Tony DiNozzo" he said, as he extended his hand. Liat appeared to melt into her shoes.

"I know" she said as she could barely contain her huge smile. "I'm your biggest fan" she said.

"Yeah, I know, your cousin Malachi told me" Tony said. He smiled as he looked around. "Come on, if we are to succeed, we are going to need your help" said Tony.

**1 hour later**

The 2 men and Liat had made their way out in the harbor on a rented fishing boat. "So Liat, is it true what Malachi said, that you are Tony's biggest fan" Chester asked her.

"Oh yes, ever since I watched him play in the 1988 Olympics" she said.

"The Gold Medal Game?" Chester asked, as he too, being from Ohio, had followed Tony's Basketball and Football Career at Ohio State University.

"Oh Yes, me and Malachi were watching it on TV, I was only 5 but I remember it like it was yesterday" she said as she began to retell the story as she watched it when she was 5.

**July 26****th****, 1988, Seoul, South Korea.**

_"Hello Ladies and Gentlemen, I'm Al Michaels, and folks if your just joining us, then you've missed a hell of a game thus far. As it stands now, Israel leads the United States 104-102 in this Olympic Gold Medal Game. The Israeli Captain, Point Guard Orri Cohen has already put up huge numbers tonight, 36 points and 13 assists. On the US side of the ball, USA Captain, Point Guard Anthony DiNozzo Jr. of Ohio State University has put up 42 points of his own, as well as 18 assists and 11 rebounds. There's just over a minute and half left in regulation as The U.S inbounds the ball. _

_ Ok, here we go, Jordan inbounds the ball to DiNozzo who takes it down the right side. But it's Cohen who's right there to block his approach. DiNozzo stops pivots and finds an open Magic Johnson. Johnson with the ball now, as DiNozzo breaks open at the top of the key, Johnson passes it back to DiNozzo. DiNozzo puts up the 3... It's…good! 3-pointer by DiNozzo and the US takes the lead 105-104. Israel inbounds the ball. This time its Shooting guard, Asa Abrams taking it up. He passes it to Cohen whose open in the far left corner. Orri puts it up… its good, as Orri Cohen answers with a 3-pointer of his own, putting Israel back up 107-105. _

_ Jordan inbounds the ball again, once again to DiNozzo, who charges with it over half court, wasting little time. Once again Cohen attempts to block his path. DiNozzo… crossover and puts up the J from 3-point range…its… good! Another Trey by DiNozzo giving The United States the lead once again, 108-107. oh what an epic game this has turned into folks. Abrams inbounds the ball again, 30- seconds left as he passes it Cohen who charges down the court. And I have no doubt that he's gonna go with what brought him to the dance. Cohen sprints over half court, and whoa! He puts up the jumper… its good, so thanks to back to back 3-pointers from Cohen, Israel is back up on top 110-108. oh, and the US takes a time out. _

_ Folks, if you're just joining us, you couldn't have picked a better time. Gold Medal Game, Israel leads 110-108, with 17 seconds left on the clock. Team USA will have just those 17 seconds to try and put something together. However, its no secret who Coach K is going to go with, The Big Gun, The Buckeye, The Team Captain, The All-American from Ohio State, Anthony DiNozzo Jr. Rocky had The Eye of the Tiger, well, this team has the Buckeye. _

_ The referee is calling for play to resume as Jordan looks to in bound it. Oh, look at this folks; it is a full court press by the Israelis. Jordan has only 5 seconds to find someone, and yes, he does. He finds an open, who else, DiNozzo. DiNozzo with the ball, 17 seconds left. DiNozzo breaks away its only Abrams and Cohen standing in his. Abrams tries to cut him off. OH! Wait! DiNozzo bounces it through Abrams' legs. He's across the mid-court, 10 seconds left. DiNozzo, crosses over, Cohen blocking his every move. 6 seconds…5…4…3…2. DiNozzo, from 35 feet, fade away jump shot…1…and it's…GOOD! IT"S GOOD! THE UNITED STATES WINS! THE UNITED STATES WINS! Tony DiNozzo has won The Gold medal for The United States. _

_ The Boyhood dream has come true, for Tony DiNozzo. Oh wait just a minute folks; DiNozzo is now running over to Israel's bench. Oh, what class, he offers a handshake to Cohen. That is class personified"._

**PRESENT DAY**

"Wow" said Chester. "I mean, I remember the game, and the ending, but damn, I have never heard anyone describe it in such detail" said Chester, complimenting Liat's memory. With that, Chester walked into the main cabin to take control. When he did, Tony walked out and sat down next to Liat.

"So, are the 2 of you really here to kill Eli David?" she asked.

"Maybe" he said, with a smirk.

"I want to help you" she said.

"Why? Aren't you Mossad too?" Tony asked.

"Do you know what happened to Ziva David?"

"I know a lot of things about Ms. Ziva David" he replied.

"I mean how Eli had her mother killed and then had Rivkin" she said, not being able to finish the sentence.

"Yes" Tony replied. Then he saw the look of fear and horror on Liat's face" Oh my God. Did he? Your Mother?" he asked.

"My whole family" Liat replied, trying to hold back the tears.

"And Rivkin?" Tony asked. Liat nodded. "Tony pulled her into a tight hug and used his fingers to wipe away her tears. "Liat, I want you to understand something. Eli David is an evil man. A man who bread his 3 children to be used as professional assassins. Because of his evil, we can tie hundreds of deaths to his selling of Israeli arms and Intel to various rebel and terrorist groups. Under his orders, Michael Rivkin murdered one of my best friends, and then last month, again under David's orders, Rivkin assassinated The U.S Consul General in Riyadh" he told her. "Liat, I once gave my word to God, and to Ziva, although I've never met her, that I would have my revenge. That I would kill Eli David and Michael Rivkin. I will now make the same promise to you" he promised her. She looked up at him and wiped the tears from eyes before she pulled him into a big huge.

"Thank you" she whispered into his ear. Tony tightened the hug, giving her as much comfort as he could. After they finally broke the embrace, Chester walked out.

"I think we're there" he said. Liat got up and retrieved her binoculars from her bag. Looking through them, she spied The David Mansion.

"Over there, the crest of the hill" she said Pointing as she handed the binoculars to Tony.

"Holy Shit" said Tony when he saw it. Sitting atop the huge hill was a massive white stone, 5-story mansion, complete with pillars, columns and everything. The driveway had to be to at least a ½ mile long, and the entire property was fenced off with hill walls and armed guards. "Explains what he did with all the money" said Tony. "Liat, at night, where is Deputy Director David most likely to be?" he asked.

"Do you see that balcony, between the 2 middle pillars?" she asked. Tony looked through the binoculars again, and sure enough, in between the 2 middle white pillars, there was a white pained balcony connected to the rest of the house by 2 large French doors.

"Yes, I see it" Tony replied.

"That is Eli David office, he often works there nights" she said.

"What are you thinking Top?" Chester asked.

"See that tree, the one about ¾ of the way up the hill?" Tony asked. Both Chester and Liat nodded yes. "Eli David loves his Cuban cigars, and if he's working in that office all night, at some point he'll have to have one. If I can get to that tree with my rifle, I can put one between his eyes the second he steps out on to that balcony" said Tony. Both Liat and Chester smiled.

**7 hours later**

0805 hours, 6 January 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It had been a long night of nothing but sheer boredom for Malachi. He had had the watch that night and absolutely nothing had happened. He was doing his best not to fall asleep when Colonel Bell stormed in, with Tali, who looked as if she had been crying, followed quickly behind. "Tali! What's wrong?" said Malachi as he shot out of his chair.

"This is what's wrong" said Bell as he slapped a file into Mal's Chest. He opened it and saw that it was Tali's personnel file.

"What about it?" asked Mal.

"It's a bunch a crap. Staff Sergeant Colleton wasn't born in South Carolina, hell, she wasn't even born in the United States" Bell complained.

"So, neither was I" Malachi pointed out.

"Which is exactly why I don't trust you neither" said Bell as he spit on the floor. Malachi lunged forward and grabbed Bell by his lapels and slammed him into the wall.

"If you ever, say ANYTHING negative about Tali again, so help me God, I will break you in 2. Tali is my best friend, and the daughter of your predecessor, Colonel Thomas Colleton, who, unlike you, had this job because he was good at it, not because he knew the right politician, you paper-pushing, brown nosing piece of shit" he yelled as he threw Bell to the ground. Then Malachi noticed something. Tali's cheek was bright red. Malachi walked over. "Did he hit you?" Malachi asked. Tali nodded slightly. Then Mal turned back to Bell, who was still on the ground. "You hit her?" Mal asked, becoming more and more enraged by the minute. No waiting for the answer, Malachi jumped on top of Bell. He began pounding Bell's face in with punch after punch, alternating between rights and lefts.

Realizing that Mal would be in serious trouble if he continued, Tali quickly went over and tried to pull him off Colonel Bell. She grabbed his shoulders as she yelled "Mal stop! Mal Please, he's not worth it". When that had absolutely no effect, she tried a different approach. "Mal Please, I can't lose you" she pleaded.

When Mal heard her say that, he realized something too. _I can't lose her either_ he thought. His rage slowly died down, and he lost all energy as he fell back into Tali's arms. He quickly composed himself and pulled Tali into his arms. "You'll never lose me" he assured her. "I promise" he said. Then he turned to Bell "You ever touch her again, and I'll kill ya" Malachi threatened.

**3 Hours Later**

2100 hours local time, 6 January 1999, The David Family Estate, Haifa, Israel. Tony and Chester had both waited patiently for nightfall. Chester had "liberated" a Mercedes from a street corner had parked it about a mile from the Estate. There was no Moon out tonight, for which Tony thanked God, which had allowed Tony to easily slip past the guards. Tony quickly and quietly climbed up the tree that he had pointed out to Chester and Liat earlier. He un-slung his AWP Rifle and placed it securely onto one of the branches. He shook it a bit in order to make sure it was stable which it was. Despite the fact that the tree was ¾ of the way up the hill, it was still a good 1,000 yards to the Mansion. It was very clear that Eli David had amassed quite a fortune selling state secrets. Tony attached his silencer to the end of the barrel and loaded in the 10-round clip, which was loaded with FMJ, or Full Metal Jacket rounds. And now all Tony had to do was wait.

For 2 hours, Tony waited patiently. At 2312 hours, we finally got his chance. He watched as the French doors to Eli David's office opened and out walked Mossad Deputy Director, Eli David. He walked out the edge of the balcony and lit his Cuban Cigar. "Ironman, this is Movie Buff, I have target in sight, be ready to move" said Tony quietly into his radio.

"_Copy that Movie Buff, good hunting_" Chester replied, quoting what Tom Colleton used to tell them before each mission.

Tony brought Sniper Rifle to his shoulder and flicked off the safety. As he placed his hand on the trigger, a woman walked out onto the balcony. Tony felt his heart skip a beat. "Ziva" he muttered. "Damn it" he said. "Ironman, The Girl is in the way, I don't have a shot, repeat, I have no shot" Tony said into his radio. Then Tony watched as a 3rd person walked out onto the balcony. "Strike my last Ironman, I have new target, I have eyes on Target 0-0-2,m taking the shot, get ready to move" said Tony. Tony refocused the scope on Simon Ben-Lev's head. He took in a deep breath as he squeezed the trigger.

**1 minute earlier**

It was getting late, so Mossad Officer Ziva David walked out onto the balcony to say goodnight to her father, Mossad Deputy Director Eli David. She walked up behind him and kissed him on the cheek. "Goodnight Abba" she said.

"Goodnight" he said, not even bothering to turn around. As she went to leave, Mossad Officer Simon Ben-Lev walked out.

"Hello Director, I just wanted to check on you before I turned in for the night" said Ben-Lev.

"Thank you Simon" said Eli as he turned around to greet him. Ziva had always hated how her father had never shown her nearly as much attention as he showed me like Illan Bodner, Amit Hadar, Michael Rivkin and Simon Ben-Lev. She was his family after all. As she turned to leave she felt something spray the side of her face. She turned and saw Simon, the left side of his face had been blown open, his blood spattered everywhere.

"Simon!" she yelled as she dropped to her knees to check on him. her father, showed no such concern as he dove back into the safety of his office, no bothering to either check on Simon or get Ziva out of harm's way.

With Ben-Lev dead, Tony quickly scrambled out of the tree and made a mad dash for the security wall. He threw the AWP over the wall before scaling it himself. He ran for the road where Chester was waiting. "Go, go , go!" Tony yelled as he jumped into the passenger seat. Chester popped the clutch and mashed the gas pedal.

1430 hours, 6 January 1999, Unit Locker room, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Billy, Malachi and Tali were in the Unit locker room drinking beers when Bridget Sullivan walked in. Tali was sitting in Malachi's lap, still upset from before, but being with Malachi helped. "Ironman just reported in" she said as she walked over to the fridge and pulled out a cold bottle of Killan's Irish Red.

"Good news?" asked Billy. Bridget pooped the top off the bottle of bear and sat down.

"Movie Buff didn't have a shot on 0-0-3, the girl got in the way" she explained.

"Damn" replied Malachi, who placed his half-empty Budweiser down on the table. Then he saw Bridget was smiling.

"Why are you smiling?" Mal asked, hoping it was good news, and not that Bridget had lost her mind.

"Movie Buff did fire a shot, and it hit, target down" said Bridget proudly.

"Not the girl?" asked Billy.

"No Billy, not the girl" said Bridget as he slapped Billy in the back of the head, causing Mal and Tali to laugh. "Target 0-0-2 is down" Bridget proudly informed them.

"Wounded down, or dead down?" asked Malachi.

"Mossad Officer and Kidon Operative Simon Ben-Lev, Target 0-0-2, is dead" Bridget said.

"To quote one of Tony's favorite movies" Tali paused and cleared her throat. "Yippee kay-ah Motherfuckers" yelled Tali. Everyone laughed as Mal leaned over and gave her a kiss on the cheek, causing Tali to blush.

**7 Hours Later**

0630 hours local time, 7 January 1999, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. "So I guess you guys are going?" asked Liat, who looked more than disappointed.

"Not quite" said Tony. "Chester is, but not me" he said. Chester was taking a fast boat to Cyprus where he would catch a C-130 back to Fort Bragg.

"Why?" Liat asked him.

"I came here to do a job, and I ain't going home till it's done" said Tony. "I've already bursted Eli David's little safety bubble. Now it's time to scare the crap out of him" Tony said.

"How do you plan to accomplish this?" Liat asked.

Tony's response was simple. "By showing him that I can get him… Anytime… Anywhere"

**A/N- 1 Down, 2 to Go. **

** I'm thinking of getting rid of Colonel Bell (Just removing him, NOT killing him), but I don't know who I would replace him with. So please send in your ideas (PLEASE NOT TONY, I don't think Movie Buff could handle a desk job, not to mention the politics that comes with it. **

** So please, send me your ideas, Hey who knows, maybe I'll incorporate your idea into the story.**

** But if you guys don't come up with anything, We're gonna be stuck with Colonel Bell. **

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	34. Chapter 34

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "War Stories"- (Season 4, Episode 13)**

0730 hours local time, 8 January 1999, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. It was another beautiful morning in Israel. Tony and Liat were enjoying a nice morning cup of coffee in a café near the harbor. "So Liat, what's the news flying around Mossad Headquarters?" Tony asked.

"Eli David has locked himself in the safe room and everyone is still scrambling to find quote 'the man who had the gall to shoot at the honorable Deputy Director David' end quote" she said, laughing.

"Do they have any leads?" Tony asked, wanting to always be several steps ahead of Mossad.

"Just that they know it's the same shooter as Canada" she said. "I assume that was you as well?" she said.

"Never assume, my dear Liat, as it makes an ass of you and me" he said with a joking smile. "But to answer your question, yes, that was me" Tony said, not afraid to hide that fact.

"You know what will happen if they catch you?" she asked.

"You think they'd break me?" Tony asked as he took a sip of his coffee.

"Honestly, I don't think you would even bend" she said, with complete honesty. Tony gave her a small smile.

"How's Ziva handling all of it?" Tony asked.

"What is it to you?" she countered.

"If it wasn't for her, it would be Eli David who is dead, not Ben-Lev. Not that I'm complaining mind you" Tony said. It was clear that Tony would rather have taken out David, but he would certainly take Ben-Lev as a concession.

"I honestly don't know. As far as I know she's still towing the part line of 'mourn the dead officer' but I suspect she's secretly a little happy" said Liat. "She has always resented the fact that Eli has always cared more for men like Ben-Lev then he has for his family" she informed him. "Can I ask you something?" Liat asked.

"You just did" Tony said with a smile.

"Is Tali David still alive?" she asked. Hearing that, Tony kept on his poker face.

"What makes you think she is still alive, last I heard she was killed in an Israeli rocket attack" Tony said.

"Malachi mentioned something about this girl named 'Tals'" she said. Tony placed down his coffee cup.

"I'm gonna kill him" Tony muttered.

"So she is alive?" Liat said, smiling.

"Well Yes, and No" said Tony. "Tali _David_ is dead. She died in that rocket attack" Tony stated. "Now, Tali _Colleton_, Staff Sergeant in The United States Army, Unit Data Analyst, step-daughter of retired US Army Colonel Thomas Colleton, and baptized Roman Catholic? Yes, she is alive" Tony explained.

"She actually converted?" Liat asked.

"I kid you not. Hell, Chester and his wife, Meg, are her Godparents" Tony said. "Tali wanted nothing to do with the life she had in Israel, so she got rid of as much of it as she could" Tony explained.

"I wish I could be so lucky" she mumbled under her breath

**3 Weeks later**

1130 hours local time, 29 January 1999, Port of Haifa, Haifa Israel. 3 weeks had passed and Tony was still in Israel. In that same time span, Eli David had not left the concrete bunker below Mossad Headquarters. The only good news was that Red Cap had informed him of wow Malachi had beaten the crap out of Colonel Bell. The bad news, Bell wasn't going anywhere anytime soon. Every morning seemed to be beautiful in Israel. The entire time he was here, it hadn't rained once. Tony and Liat had coffee every morning at the same harbor café. For someone who was only a few months older than his son, Liat was very mature for her age. Everyday he spent with Liat; he grew closer to her, in a Father/Daughter kind of way. But today was different. Today, Tony and Liat had had their usual morning cup of coffee before Liat rushed off to Mossad Headquarters. A few hours later, she had placed a frantic phone call to him, and told him to meet her at the Port. Tony was immediately suspicious. He knew that he could trust Liat, which he did. But what if she was being played by someone at Mossad, someone like Eli David or Michael Rivkin.

Tony arrived at their agreed meeting place 15 minutes early. He got a good vantage point on a nearby rooftop and waited for Liat to show. At 1130 hours sharp she finally had shown up, right on time. After Tony surveyed the area and was convinced that she wasn't being followed. He made his way down onto the wharf. A strong smell of fish hung in the air as Tony approached. He walked up behind her and put his right hand around her left bicep and dragged her behind a large crate. "What is so urgent?" Tony asked.

"Mossad thinks they have a lead, a Colonel Omar Fekesh. Do you know this man?" Liat asked him.

"Colonel is The Lebanese Security Forces, works under the table as an intelligence broker; we suspect he is the one who brokered Eli David's 1st Intelligence sale back in 1993" Tony informed her. "Why?"

"Colonel Fekesh has sent word to Eli David that he knows who the 'Riviere-du-Loup Shooter' is, and he wants to make a deal. Is it possible that Fekesh knows who you are?" Liat asked, very concerned for the life of the man who had become a Father figure in her life in the past month.

"Wait, they're calling me 'The Riviere-du-Loup Shooter'?" Tony asked, with a huge grin on his face.

"Abba, focus" she said, using the Hebrew word for Father.

"Did you just call me Abba?" Tony asked her

"Can we please get back on road" said Liat.

"Track, get back on track" Tony said, correcting her English.

"Abba, please" she said again.

"Sorry, and to answer your question, Yes, I met him 6 years ago in December of 93'" said Tony grimly. "What's the price Eli David has to pay for this information?" Tony asked.

"I don't know, but he sent Ziva to meet him in Beirut to get the information, she wasn't carrying anything of value with her" Liat said.

"Yes she is" said Tony seriously. "She's has herself" said Tony grimly. "Fekesh is a pervert, Eli is selling him Ziva's body in exchange for the information" said Tony. "We can't let that happen for 2 reasons" said Tony. "1st off, if Fekesh blows the whistle of The Unit, we're all fucked, and yes that includes you too, Liat" he said.

"What's the 2nd reason?" she asked.

"I am sick and tired of Eli David manipulating, controlling and using his daughter. And I refuse to let anymore harm come to her" said Tony.

**24 Hours Later**

0930 hours local time, 30 January 1999, Beirut, Lebanon. Liat had swiped some surveillance equipment from Mossad Headquarters and the 2 had made their way into Lebanon. Tony had setup his Sniper's Nest in a bombed out high-rise about a mile away from the café where Ziva was to meet with Fekesh. Tony loaded the 10-round magazine into the rifle and chambered the first round. "Do you use hollow point or Full-Metal Jacket?" Liat asked him.

"FMJ, KGB Snipers usually wear body armor" said Tony.

"What?" Liat asked him, confused.

"James Bond quote, Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights, 1985" said Tony.

"I have never seen this Film, in fact, I have never seen any James Bond films" she said, with a slight frown.

"You have much to learn mi Hija" he said using the Spanish word for Daughter. Liat made a mental note to ask him about it either. "It means that in my line of work, most of the people I kill wear kevlar" he explained. Down before, Ziva was waiting patiently for Fekesh to show. "Here he comes" said Tony as he saw the Colonel approach and sit down across from Ziva.

"I make it just under 2,500 meters, wind out of the west, 2 knots" she said, looking through her spotter's scope.

"Copy" said Tony as he brought the rifle to his shoulder, flicked off the safety and brought the scope to his right eye. Through his scope he could only see Ziva's back. "Damn, Fekesh is good, I have no shot, Ziva's body is completely blocking him" said Tony.

"We must kill him, before he gives us all up" said Liat, who was getting impatient.

"Patients, Bat, is a virtue. The shot will come" said Tony, this time using the Hebrew word for Daughter. "Fekesh is not stupid, but he is greedy. He will give Ziva a taste of the info, like my callsign or something, but he won't tell her anything useful until she pay's up, and we won't let that happen" said Tony, who hadn't taken his eyes off the target. A few minutes past before Fekesh stood up next to Ziva, a gun in his hand. "Taking the shot, get ready to move" Tony said. He held his breath as he squeezed the trigger.

**2 minutes earlier**

Ziva David sat in the Lebanese Café, waiting for the man her father had sent her to meet, one Colonel Omar Fekesh. She looked down at her watch; it read 9:30am. Suddenly, a shadow was cast over her and she looked up to see a man standing there. "Colonel Fekesh?" she asked as the man sat down across from her.

"And you must be Ziva" he said, grinning a creepy smile.

"Let use get down to business Colonel, you send word to my father that you know who The 'Riviere-du-Loup' Shooter is" she said.

"That is correct" he said.

"Well… who is it?" she asked, impatiently.

"He goes by the callsign 'Movie Buff'" he said with an evil smile.

"That's it? That is all you know?" asked Ziva.

"Oh my Dear Ziva, I know so much more" he said as he reached across the table and grabbed her wrist. "But first you must pay the price"

"My Father mentioned nothing about a price, and get your hands off of me" she said as she pulled her hand away and slapped him across the face.

"You bitch" he said as he stood up next to her and pointed his Tokarev TT-33 pistol at her chest. Realizing that Fekesh had gotten the drop on her, Ziva knew there was nothing she could do. She shut her eyes and prepared to die. A gun shot rang out. Ziva's muscles stiffened. But, after a few seconds, she opened her eyes as another shot ran out. The 1st bullet had struck Fekesh in the shoulder, causing him to drop his gun. The second d had hit him in the stomach, causing him to bend over, before a 3rd bullet had struck his head, the force of which knocked him to the ground. She quickly kicked his gun away and squatted down to check for a pulse. Finding none, she turned around to see where the shots had come from. She spotted a bombed out high-rise about a mile away and decided to start there.

It took her about 10 minutes to get to the building as she had walked not wanting to draw attention to herself by running. Drawing her Jericho 941 from her holster, she methodically checked each floor of the bombed out building. When she reached the 7th floor, she found it empty, just like the 1st 6. she turned to leave when she saw something. It was a piece of paper on the floor, on the side of the building that faced the café Ziva had been at. She bent down and picked it up. Her jaw dropped as she read it.

_Ziva- _

_ At lo Levad_

_ -MB_

**48 Hours later **

0730 hours local time, 1 February 1999, Port of Haifa, Haifa, Israel. The Unit was being sent out again, and Tony really needed to be with them for this one, so he was waiting for a fast boat that would take him to Cyprus, were a COD would fly him to Naples. "Liat, you should come with me" said Tony as he placed a hand on her shoulder.

"I can't I am needed here" she said, with a tear in her eye.

"By who? Mossad? That asshole Eli David?" Tony asked. In the month he had spent in Israel he had grow very close to Liat, and had grown very fond of her.

"No, I am needed here… by You" she said. "I never really knew my father, and to be honest, you are the closest thing I've ever had to one" she said, as the tears welled up in her eyes.

"Liat, I will do for you what Tom did for Tali, I'll adopt you, you can become a U.S Citizen, you deserve a chance to grow up. You deserve a family" he said as he cupped her face with his hands.

"I already have a Mispatcha, a family. I have Malachi and Three, who are my brothers. I have Kate, who is my Imma. And I have you, My Abba" she said as she leaned forward to kiss his cheek. "If Eli David discovers what you did, he will come after you. You're going to need someone to watch your back. I will have always have your back, Daddy" she said as the tears flowed down her cheek. Tony pulled her into a tight hug and kissed her forehead.

"At lo levad" he whispered in her ear. "Ani Ohev Otach, Bat" he finished as he kissed her forehead once again.

"Ani Ohevet Otcha" she whispered back. Tony hugged her again as he stepped back and reached into his bag and pulled out 3 wrapped gifts.

"I know that your birthday is in a few weeks, and I probably won't be here for it, but I did get you some gifts" he said with a smile.

"Abba" she said as he handed her the 1st gift. She tore off the wrapping paper. Inside was a red Ohio State Basketball Jersey with the number "1" on the front, she turned it over and saw "DiNozzo Jr." stitched across the back above another number "1".

"For my biggest fan" he said as he handed her a similar jersey, only it was dark blue and had "USA" stitched across the chest.

"Oh Abba thank you so much" she said as she hugged him.

"Wait there's more he said as he handed her the next gift. She unwrapped another red Ohio State Basketball Jersey, only this one had the number "2" on the front. She flipped it over where she saw "Tuvia" stitched across it. Her jaw dropped. "Abba" she whispered.

"That's so everyone will know what should have been" he said. "I have just one more. This one symbolizes what will be one day" he handed her another #2 Ohio State Jersey, only the back read "DiNozzo".

"I thought Three is Anthony D. DiNozzo III?" she asked.

"He is, this is your Jersey" he said, causing her jaw to drop again. "Happy Birthday Liat" he said as he stepped onto the fast boat. He blew his new daughter a kiss as the boat left the dock.

**2 Days Later **

1330 hours, 3 February 1999, JAG Headquarters, Falls Church, Virginia. Admiral Chegwidden, Lieutenant Commander Rabb, Major McKenzie, Lieutenant Roberts and Lieutenant JG Simms-Roberts were all standing around watching a ZNN Report of Serbia.

"_This is Stuart Dunston reporting live from Kosovo, where 3 days ago, 3 NATO Peacekeepers have been kidnapped by ex-Serbian Special Forces. They have demanded that all NATO Forces are pulled out of Kosovo immediately. We are only moments away from the deadline set by the extremists, and they have promised to fulfill their threat to execute the men if the demands are not met" _

"Think they'll execute The NATO Officers?" Major Sarah "Mac" Mackenzie asked the group.

"I hope not, but nearly everyone at the Pentagon looked pretty grim when I was there this afternoon" said Harm as he turned and walked away towards his office.

"Harm, who didn't look grim" Mac asked. Harm turned and smiled.

"Some friends of mine" he replied.

2035 hours, 3 February 1999, Para-military compound, 35 miles east of Kosovo, Kosovo Province, Serbia. _"All call signs check I" _said Tali over the radio.

"_Hitman, in position" _

_ "Blue Star, ready" _

_ "Ironman, ready to rock n' roll"_

"All Callsigns, this is Movie Buff, let's roll" said Tony as he flicked the safety off his M-4.

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**P.S- also please keep sending in your ideas for who should replace Bell. **


	35. Chapter 35

**A/N- Previously on "28 Seconds" **

2035 hours, 3 February 1999, Para-military compound, 35 miles east of Kosovo, Kosovo Province, Serbia. _"All call signs check I" _said Tali over the radio.

"_Hitman, in position" _

_ "Blue Star, ready" _

_ "Ironman, ready to rock n' roll"_

"All Callsigns, this is Movie Buff, let's roll" said Tony as he flicked the safety off his M-4.

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Webb of Lies"- (Season 4, Episode 14)**

2035 hours local time, 3 February 1999, Para-Military Compound, 35 miles east of Kosovo, Kosovo Province, Serbia. With Hitman on overwatch, Movie Buff, Blue Star and Ironman quickly approached the old barn in the middle of the compound. With his hand Tony signaled 3…2…1. On 1, Tony kicked the door in and the 3 men entered. They scanned the structure from top to bottom, no hostiles. "What the hell" said Chester.

"Freedom, this is Movie Buff, do you have us on sate link?" Tony asked.

"_Copy that, Movie Buff, the Eye in the Sky have a visual, over" _Tali replied.

"Are you sure this is the Serbs' compound, cause we have no contacts" said Tony.

"_That's it Movie Buff, keep searching" _she replied.

"Copy that" he said. The 3 men began their sweep of the area.

"Top, over here" yelled Mal. Rifle in hand, Tony hustled over to Malachi's location. He was outside, standing under a tree.

"No" Tony moaned. Hanging from the tree, were the bodies of the 3 NATO Officers. "Damn it" he yelled. "Mal, cut em down" Tony ordered.

"On it Top" he replied. Tony sat down against the side of the barn. He un-slung his rifle and laid it down next to him. He pressed the call button on his radio as he said "Freedom, this is Movie Buff, we were too late, 3 NATO Officer K.I.A, repeat, 3 NATO Officer K.I.A."

_"Copy that Movie Buff, Major Morrell's extraction Force is en route, sit tight Movie Buff" _she said. It took Morrell 25 minutes to drive up in his HUMVEE Column.

"Tony" he yelled as he jumped out of the passenger side of lead HUMVEE.

"Irv" Tony replied as the 2 men shook hands. Their brief talk was unceremoniously interrupted by the ringing of Tony's sate phone. Tony held up a finger, signaling for him to give her a minute and stepped away, pulling the sate phone from his pocket. "Go for Movie Buff" he said.

"_Tony, it's Harm_" said the voice.

"Jesus Christmas Harm,. I told you never to call me at this number" he told him.

"_I know, I know, but it's really important" _Harm said.

"Ok fine, but it better be" warned Tony.

"_A freighter exploded in Baltimore Harbor_" said Harm.

"So What? That's the Coast Guard and CGIS' problem" countered Tony.

"Clayton Webb was on board" Harm paused "He's dead" said Harm, his voice clearly distressed.

"What the hell was he doing on the freighter?" Tony asked. He had lost far to many friends over the years. Gary Gordon, Randy Shugart, John Hirsch, and Ron Cheale, and while RC hadn't been killed, he was still confined to a wheel chair. And now, he had lost Webb too.

"I don't have all the details, but he was meeting someone who had Intel on Former DSD Special Agent Clark Palmer" said Harm.

"I'm 24 hours out harm, meet me at the Harbor at 0630 in 2 days" said Tony as he hung up. In the past, he had never gotten the chance to avenge the deaths of his friends. Well now, he had the chance. He put the sat phone in his pocket. He turned back to Major Morrell. "Irv, I need a HUMVEE" he told him.

"No prob Tony. Take mine" said Morrell as he threw his arm over his shoulder. Then Tony turned to his men. "Blue Star, Ironman, load up in the lead HUMVEE, we're moving out" Tony ordered.

"What about me Top?" Hitman asked.

"Hitman, I want you to escort the bodies to The Medical Examiner in Kosovo, I need to know when they died" said Tony as he placed his hand on Billy's shoulder.

"Why?" Billy asked.

"Because, I need to know when they died. If they are dead more than a day, it means that the Serbs were setting a trap for us, if not, It means we were too late. I need to k now" Tony said.

"Understood Sir" said Billy as he slung his Karabiner over his shoulder. Tony nodded and walked to the HUMVEE. He jumped in the driver's seat and started the engine as Mal got in the passenger's seat and Chester in the back.

2305 hours local time, 3 February 1999, David Family Estate, Haifa, Israel. With her Father still seeking refuge in the concrete bunker below Mossad Headquarters, Mossad Officer Ziva David had the whole mansion to herself. No matter what she tried, she couldn't get that message out of her head.

_Ziva-_

_ At lo levad_

_ -MB_

Whoever this "Movie Buff" was, he had clearly saved her life. Yes, he hade clear motive to keep Colonel Fekesh quiet, but he could have taken a shot at him at anytime, but he had waited until she was no longer in the line of fire. And, as far she could tell, the same man who had saved her was the same man who had killed Simon Ben-Lev. But from what she could gather, he had been there to kill her father. _The only reason he didn't get Eli was because I was in the way_ she thought. Because of her, he hadn't forsaken what ever he reason he had to kill her father, and then protected her from harm in Beirut. The next morning she was due to appear in her Father's office at Mossad Headquarters, in order to pass along the information she had obtained from Colonel Fekesh. But now she was conflicted, she felt a debt of gratitude towards this "Movie Buff". On 1 hand, this man had tried, not once, but twice to assassinate her father, and it was her duty as a Mossad Officer to stop it from happening again. But on the other hand, this man had also saved her life, not once but twice.

Ziva hadn't gotten any sleep that night, she had tossed and turned all night trying to decide what she would do.

0830 hours local time, 4 February 1999, Office of Mossad Deputy Director Eli David, Mossad Headquarters, Tel-Aviv, Israel. Ziva sat patiently in one of the chairs in front of her father's desk, waiting for her Father to give her permission to speak. Finally, after 10 minutes of silence, Eli David finally looked up at his daughter. "Speak" he said in a flat tone.

"The man we seek uses a AWP bolt-action sniper rifle, Full Metal Jacket rounds" she said, telling him information he already knew.

"We already know this Ziva, what do you take me for an idiot?" asked Eli as he stood up, reached across his desk and slapped Ziva across the face. "What did Fekesh tell you" Eli demanded.

"The man goes by the callsign "Movie Buff" that is all. He was shot 3 times by a sniper before he was able to tell me anything else" she said.

"Get out" said Eli, disgusted. Ziva felt a tear come to her eye. He didn't even care that a man standing right in front of her had been killed and that she could have been hit. She stormed out of the office and down the hall.

"Ziva, are you all right?" someone asked. Ziva quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and turned to answer.

"Yes Liat, I am perfectly fine, thank you" she said. Not waiting for Officer Tuvia's response, she quickly left the building.

0600 hours local time, 4 February 1999, US Navy Mediterranean Headquarters, Naples, Italy. 2nd Lieutenant Billy Hazard waited patiently as the NATO medical examiner autopsied the 3 dead NATO Officer's bodies. He had been waiting all night, and he could stand it anymore. He stormed into the morgue and walked over to the doctor who was washing his hands. "Any news Doctor Mallard?" Billy asked the elder English doctor.

"Oh yes my dear boy" he replied in his jolly English accent.

"And?" Billy asked.

"The 3 men have been dead for days my dear boy, if that matters to you" Doctor Mallard replied as he walked away. Billy let out a huge sigh of relief and rang his hands through his Shaggy-like dirty blonde hair.

"Thank God" Billy said with a smile. He took of his sate phone and dialed. "Freedom this is Hitman, bodies long dead, repeat, Bodies long dead" he told her.

**24 Hours later**

0630 hours, 5 February 1999, Pier 6A, Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland. Dressed in civvies and armed only with their sidearms, Tony, Chester and Malachi walked down the pier towards where Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. was waiting for them. "Holy shit" said Tony as he looked up at the wrecked cargo ship. it was clear that it had been blown sky high, and what remained was the burnt out hull of the ship.

"Big Boom" said Chester, which made Tony give him a look. Tony looked over at Harm.

"Jesus Christ Harm, how the hell did they ID Webb's body after all this?" Tony asked.

"Dental records" said Harm. "Think Clark Palmer is behind this?" he asked.

"Who else?" said Tony.

"Where do we start?" asked Mal.

"Harm, go talk to Mrs. Webb, Clay's mom, she's former NSA, she might have some info we can use. Chester, when Tals gets here, the 2 of you scour the ship with a fine tooth comb. Mal, come with me, we're gonna go through Webb's apartment" said Tony.

**16 hours later**

2230 hours, 5 February 1999, Harm's Apartment, North of Union Station, Washington D.C. "So Tony, how long did you know Webb?" Harm asked him as he tossed him a can of Budweiser.

"Since the 88' Summer Olympics, Clay was on the Modern Pentathlon Team, and I was on the Basketball team" said Tony as he opened the can. "What did you find out?" Tony asked.

"Nada. You?" Harm replied.

"Webb was investigating the remnants of The Bradenhurst Corporation and their connections to The DSD and The Mossad" said Tony.

"You know, when I was speaking with Mrs. Webb this morning, she got a call from a person with the strangest name" Harm said as he said down on the sofa.

"Ok" said Tony, in a very sarcastic tone of voice.

"E.B White" Harm said. Tony thought about that for a minute before he burst out laughing. "What?" Harm asked.

"Webb's alive" Tony said placing down his beer and grabbing his pullover red sweatshirt.

"What?" Harm asked.

"Just call it gut feeling" said Tony as he stormed out the door. As he entered the elevator, Tony pulled out his cell phone. He called Chester and Malachi and told them to meet him at the port.

**2 hours later**

0030 hours, 6 February 1999, Pier 6A, Baltimore Harbor, Baltimore, Maryland. Driving the white GMC Suburban he had commandeered from Andrews Air Force base when he landed, Tony parked at the edge of the pier and walked down to were the freighter was. He checked and made sure his 45. was in his holster. He drew it, pulled down the cocking hammer and boarded the ship. he made his way down to the lower decks and began his search. When he got to about midship, he heard a voice. "Drop it" said a familiar voice. Tony smiled.

"Calm the fuck down Webb" said Tony, turning around with his arms still raised.

"Jesus Christ Tony, I could have shot you" said Webb as he lowered his weapon. Tony lowered his arms.

"Nice digs, decorated in early Hiroshima" said Tony, making reference to the atomic bomb.

"How the fuck did you find me anyway?" Webb asked.

"Your Mom's name is Charlotte right?" Tony asked.

"Yeah, what does that have to do with anything?" Webb responded.

"When Harm was interviewing your Mother, she was interrupted by a call from E.B White, the author of _Charlotte's Web_" said Tony with a huge smile.

"No doubt the longest book you've ever read" mocked Webb.

"Cut the crap Webb, what the fuck is with the Houdini act?" Tony questioned.

"Trying to draw out Clark Palmer, I thought you might appreciate it" said Webb.

"Oh, I'm sure he does" said a voice from behind them.

"Fuck me" complained Tony as both he and Webb turned around. Standing there was Former Special Agent Clark Palmer of the now disbanded Defense Security Division. In his hand was a Tokarev TT-33 pistol.

"High ya Tony old buddy, how long has it been?" asked Palmer in his psychopathic voice.

"So tell me Clark, how many times did your Mom drop you on your head as an infant?" Tony asked. "I mean come on, tell us what it's like to survive an abortion" said Tony.

"Are you trying to piss me off" Palmer asked, straightening his shooting arm.

"That's the general idea yes" Tony replied, doing anything to stall for time. And it worked.

"Freeze Palmer!" yelled a voice. Palmer turned and saw both Chester and Malachi with their M9 pointed at him.

"I don't think so" said Palmer as he opened his other hand. A canister dropped from it. Tony thought it was a grenade at first, but then it he realized what it was.

"Flash bang" he said as he shielded his eyes. It went off, temporally blinding Webb, Chester and Malachi. When there vision finally restored, Palmer was no where to be found. "How the fuck does he keep doing that?" Tony asked rhetorically.

"The guy is like the wind" said Chester.

"Yeah, then why can't the wind just break his leg" said Tony.

**2 days later**

1330 hours, 8 February 1999, Unit Locker room, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. The men off Alpha Team, pulse the ladies were sitting around drinking beers. Bravo team was out training a new recruit, one Staff Sergeant Michael Weston, callsign "Shark Bait".

"Red Cap, that door locked?" Tony asked Bridget.

"Yeah" she replied.

"Top, we gonna frag Bell?" Billy asked which earned him a head slap from Tony.

"No, we are not gonna frag that chicken-shit desk jockey" Tony replied.

"Then what are we gonna do?" asked mal, who everyone knew was clearly in favor of slitting Bell's throat.

"What if Red Cap fills a sexual harassment complaint against him?" asked said Tali.

"Not enough" said Chester.

"Look, none of this matters unless we can find a replacement for him" said Tony.

"Any ideas?" Bridget asked the group.

**A/N- Keep sending in your ideas guys, as to who y'all think should replace Colonel Bell. **

** Also, does anyone know where I got the line "Yeah, then why can't the wind just break his leg"?**

** PLEASE REVIEW!**

** I'd like to get to 90 reviews before I update again. PLEASE!**


	36. Chapter 36

**A/N- Wow Guys, thanks for all the reviews, and to answer a frequently asked question, whoever replaces Bell does not have to be from The NCIS/JAG Universe, it can be from any other TV Show/Movie or from Real Life. **

**And now, the Next exciting installment of "28 Seconds"**

**Chapter 36**

**Rumors and Bullets**

0815 hours, 18 March 1999, Tactical Operation Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. It was a beautiful Saturday morning at Fort Bragg when Tony was called in. "I can't believe I have to drive all the way top work, on a Saturday" he complained as he walked into the T.O.C.

"Tony, it takes like 3 minutes to drive from our neighborhood to here" said Malachi.

"That's not the point, it's the principle" he complained as he sat down. "This better be good" Tony complained. As he said that, Bridget walked in carrying a six pack of Killan's Red Irish Beer. Tali walked in behind her with an air horn in her hand. She blasted it, making everyone cover their ears. After a minute and a half of eardrum piercing noise, she finally stopped. "Tali, I…am going…to kill you" said Tony, gritting his teeth. Tali only smiled and looked at Bridget, who was handing out beers to everyone.

"You wanna tell em or should I?" she asked with a huge grin on her face.

"Tals, if you no tell Chester why you wake him up at 0730 on day off, Chester strangle you" said Chester in his intentionally crappy Russian accent. Tali grinned a huge smiled and grabbed a stapler off her desk. She held it up like a microphone and cleared her throat.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, Boys and Girls, Children of all ages, Red Cap and Freedom are proud to bring to you… drum roll please" she paused. Both she and Bridget smiled.

"Colonel Bell is GONE!" they both screamed out. There was no reaction.

"As s gone, goodbye, forever, he's out" Tali explained. The Men of Alpha Team erupted in cheers of Joy. For 7 long Months, career desk jockey, political climber and professional ass-kisser Colonel Merton Bell had made all of their lives a living hell. And now, he was gone. After the 6 of them opened there bottles of Killan's Irish Red, there clinked their bottles together. After that, Tony pulled Bridget aside.

"Why is Bell out?" he asked, as Executive Officer, it was kind of his job to know these things.

"He resigned, he's going to start his of Private Defense Firm" she told him.

"Great, another Corporate Raider" he complained. Then he realized something. "I'm in charge again, aren't I?" he asked

"I'm afraid so Sir" she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "In the famous worlds of Ironman 'America is doomed'" she said smiling.

"Very funny Red Cap, any idea who's gonna take his place?" he asked.

"There are rumors flying around, but nothing official" she replied.

"Who?" Tony asked.

"Colonel Petraeus is being considered" she said.

"David, come on, he's on the fast track to Brigadier, he ain't gonna take a step backwards, even for this" commented Tony. "Who else?"

"Major Hollis Mann of Army CID" she said.

"Yeah ok, President William 'Monica Lewinsky' Clinton is gonna approve a women for Command of The Delta Force" Tony said sarcastically. "Come on Bridget, who are the most likely candidates?" he asked.

"There are 2, Lieutenant Colonel Raymond Palmer and Lieutenant Colonel Ryan Cassidy" she said. "Ever heard of em?" she asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, then 1st Lieutenant Ryan Cassidy led a Ranger Chalk in Somalia didn't he?" asked Tony.

"Yep, he received the Bronze Star and rose rapidly through the ranks in the past 6 years" she explained. "Do you know Lieutenant Colonel Palmer?" she asked.

"I can say that I do" he replied.

"Regimental Commander, 501st Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82nd Airborne Division" she informed him.

"Have The All-Americans seen action since Desert Storm?" Tony asked, using the nickname from The 82nd Airborne

"No" she replied.

"Ok then, let's go Colonel Cassidy" he said, giving her a fake cheer. With that, they went to rejoin the party. But when they got back, everyone had gone quiet, and there was an extra person in the room. "Colonel Bell?" Tony asked. Bell turned around; he had a look of disgust and anger on his face.

"You all think you've won don't you?" he asked rhetorically. "You think because the big bad Bell is gone. Well I am not gone; you people have ruined my Military Career. And I promise you, one day, I will have my revenge" he threatened as he walked to the door.

"Don't keep us waiting" Tony yelled, causing everyone to grin.

1730 hours local time, 18 March 1999, Liat DiNozzo's apartment, Haifa, Israel. It had been a long day for Liat DiNozzo. And while yes, her name was still legally Liat Tuvia, she didn't care as far as she was concerned it was DiNozzo. She changed out of here work attire into something much more comfortable. She put on a sports bra and short shorts, before putting on her Michael Jordan Basketball sneaker her Abba had sent her from The United States. Finally, she threw on her red Ohio State #2 "Tuvia" Jersey her Abba had gotten her for her 16th Birthday. She never wore the Ohio State jersey with her "real" name on it outside of her apartment. If anyone from Mossad saw her wearing it, they might put 2 and 2 together and then both she and her Abba would be in serious trouble. She grabbed a basketball from her closet and made her way outside. In back of her apartment building there was a vacant lot that no one had used for anything in years. What she had done was setup a basketball hoop against the brick wall of the building, and used spray paint to outline the key and 3-point line. After she spent a few minutes stretching, she started with a few lay-ups before shooting a few 3-pointers. Liat was money anywhere on the court, just like her father, she had a killer jump shot. The only thing her father could do that she couldn't was dunk. She was 5'11 and her Abba was 6'5. The one disadvantage to being adopted was she didn't get her dad's height.

Liat's dream was to play basketball at Ohio State University just like her Abba. She wanted to be an All-American Point Guard just like her Abba and lead Ohio State to back-to-back National Championship during March Madness, like her dad did in 1988 and 1989. She was busy practicing her free-throws when she notice in the corner of her eye that someone was watching her. She stopped dribbling and placed the ball on the ground. She placed her left foot on the ball and used her right arm to wipe the sweat from her forehead. "Shalom Ziva" she said. Standing in the corner, Ziva was dressed in a black cotton t-shirt, camouflage cargo pants and black combat boots.

"Shalom Liat" Ziva replied. As she moved closer, Liat noticed that Ziva had a black and blue mark on her left cheek. Her father had hit her, again.

"Ziva… your eye. Are you ok?" Liat asked, concerned.

"Yes I am fine, I just, what is that American idiom, walked into the refrigerator door" she said.

` "It's walked into the shower door" said Liat correcting her. "What can I do for you Ziva?" she asked her.

"I have come here on behalf of my father" said Ziva. Liat made a sour expression on her face.

"Ok" she finally replied.

"He would like to know if you would like to have the honor of training to become a Kidon Operative" said Ziva.

"No" replied Liat without a moments hesitation. Liat have absolutely no desire to serve in The Kidon Unit. Hell, she didn't even want to be in The Mossad itself.

"Why, joining the Kidon Unit is a great honor?" asked Ziva

"I wish to do other things with my life. I grew up wanting to play basketball, at Ohio State University in The United States. I had a dream" Liat passed and pointed her finger in Ziva's face. "A dream that was taken away from me by your father when I was 13. If this is all you came for them you can leave" she yelled, pointing to the hole in the chain link fence. With that, Liat picked up her basketball and stormed off.

Despite being only 16, Liat lived alone. Sometimes, she enjoyed that fact, because she could do whatever she wanted. But on days like today, she wanted to be with her family. She had never met her Imma, Kate, or her little brother, Three, but she felt a strong connection to both of them. When she got into her apartment, she dropped the basketball on the floor and locked her door, with both the deadbolt and hotel chain. She ran into her room and flopped into her bed. She formed a cocoon out of her blanket and began crying into her pillow. She missed her Mispatcha so much in times like these. Even though it was only 1830 hours, Liat just laid there, until she fell asleep.

The next morning it was 0630 hours when she was awaken by a ringing. It looked to be the beginnings of a beautiful day and the sun was just beginning to rise. Liat threw herself out of bed to answer the phone. As she walked into her kitchen she realized that she was wearing the same clothes as the day before and that she had slept for almost 12 straight hours. She didn't want to answer the phone. _Probably that jackass Eli David, threatening to have me kill if I don't join Kidon_ she thought. Up until a few months ago, Liat would have welcomed death; it would have been her "get out of Mossad free card". But now things had changed. Now she had a Mispatcha again, she had an Abba and Imma and a baby brother. Ok, well not exactly a baby brother, she was only 2 and ½ months older than him, but she was still his big sister. She grabbed the cordless phone off the charger and walked out onto her balcony. She sighed as she pressed the talk button. "Officer Tuvia" she said, less than enthusiastically.

"_Hey Kiddo" _said the voice on the other end, in a very loving manner.

"ABBA!" Liat exclaimed as tears quickly filled her eyes.

**3 weeks later**

1330 hours, 8 April 1999, Fredericksburg, Virginia. A week earlier, a man named Warren Toobin had exploded a bomb in the I.R.S building, killing 64 people. He was now considered Public Enemy #1. Designated target 0-0-5, The Unit had orders to terminate him with "Extreme Prejudice". Tali and Bridget had traced his movements a white-supremacist, ultra right-wing militia in Fredericksburg. They were all held up in the middle of town. With Ironman and Blue Star on the street below, Billy had setup a sniper's nest in a building that overlooked the town hall the militia had established it self in. "Hitman, what exactly did Top say he had in mind to deal with these shit heads?" Malachi asked over his radio.

_"I believe he said quote 'something subtle' end quote"_ replied Billy. Malachi laughed.

"What?" Chester asked as he turned to look at him.

"I have know The Colonel for going on 9 years now, he doesn't do 'subtle'" replied mal as he put air quotes around "subtle". As if to prove Blue Star's point, they heard an in coming Helicopter.

"_You guys hear that?" _Billy asked over the radio.

"Copy that Hitman, I have friendly rotorwing in sight, approaching town hall from the north" said Malachi as he looked through a pair of binoculars.

"Is that Top?" Chester asked.

"It is indeed" Mal replied. "As he said 'subtle'" Mal joked as they watched Tony fly in the Huey Gunship.

_"All Callsigns, this is Movie Buff, prepping for gun run over" _said Tony as he flew the Huey right down Main street.

"Copy that Movie Buff, Blue Star and Ironman standing by" Malachi replied. Then he turned to Chester who was in the driver's seat. "Load and Load" he ordered as both men put 30-round clips into their M-4 Rifles. The Helicopter pulled up and hovered in front of the town hall. A few seconds passed before the 2 M-242 Chain guns on the helicopter opened up. Spewing death at 6,000 rounds per minute. The M-242s were armed with incendiary ammunition and after 20 seconds one of the rounds hit the large propane tank on the outside the building, causing it to explode. The building exploded into a huge fireball, stories high. Tony stopped firing and pulled the helicopter up to a safe height.

_This is Movie Buff, gun run complete, establishing overwatch" _Tony said over the radio.

"Copy that Movie Buff. Blue Star and Ironman moving in" Mal replied as he and Chester quickly exited the Suburban and ran across the street. They raised their rifles top their shoulders and they swept the building. As they did, their radios cracked with Movie Buff's voice.

"_I have movement out the back. I say again, I have movement out the back, believed to be Target 0-0-5, over". _hearing this, Chester and Malachi quickly ran for the back of the building. When they got there, they saw a man limping away, clutching his left arm. The man turned and raised a Makarov pistol at them. It was Toobin. Malachi and Chester emptied their magazines into his chest sand torso.

"All Callsigns, this sis Blue Star, target 0-0-5 is down, say again, Target 0-0-5 is down" said Malachi as the 2 men took off running. When they got back out in front of the now destroyed town hall, Billy pulled up in the Suburban, and the 2 men jumped in.

"Movie Buff, this is Hitman, Alpha extracting now" Billy said as he watched Tony fly away.

1415 hours, 8 April 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. _"All Callsigns, this sis Blue Star, target 0-0-5 is down, say again, Target 0-0-5 is down"_. Tali smiled. She walked over to the Kill Wall. Tony's 1st act as CO was to order Tali and Bridget to put it back up.

Tali took a big red marker out of her desk draw, and made a big red "X" over Target 0-0-5's face, just like she had done to 0-0-2's face. "2 down, 3 to go" she said as she looked at the faces of Mossad Officer Michael Rivkin, Mossad Deputy Director Eli David and former DSD Special Agent Clark Palmer.

**A/N- Next Time on "28 Seconds"-**

** When Special Agent Clark Palmer targets Lieutenant Commander Rabb and Clayton Webb for assassination, Tony turns to an old friend to help protect them. **

**A/N- Did anyone recognize the last names of the 2 Lieutenant Colonels being considered? And who do you think the old friend is?**

** MORE REVIEWS= FASTER UPDATE**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	37. Chapter 37

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Wilderness of Mirrors"- (Season 4, Episode 21)**

** 2135 hours, 7 May 1999, Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb's Apartment, North of Union Station, Washington D.C**

It was late and harm had just gotten home. Despite it only being early May, it was incredibly humid and sticky out. His wife uniform was drenched in sweat. As he rode the elevator up to his apartment, he couldn't get the thought of Jordan out of his head. Lieutenant Commander Jordan Parker and Harm had been dating since Christmas, and their relationship was starting to get really serious. As he exited the elevator and walked to his apartment, he heard laughter coming from inside. He stopped in front of the door and bent down. He retrieved his back up piece, a Glock 17. He quickly threw open the door and pointed the Glock at the center island in his kitchen. What he aw was Clayton Webb and his girlfriend Jordan drinking beers and laughing. Webb reached for his own weapon and pointed it at Harm. Harm lowered his weapon as he said "Ya know Webb, last time I checked, this was my apartment" said Harm as he threw his brief case and cover onto his couch.

"I know Harm, and yet, still don't care" said Webb as he took a swig of his beer.

"So what's up Webb? Is this official CIA business, or are you just here to hit on my girlfriend?" Harm asked as he got a beer from his fridge. Webb didn't get a chance to answer. A sniper opened up from an adjacent rooftop.

"Sniper!" Webb yelled as he knocked both Jordan and Harm to the floor.

**1 hour later**

Harm had managed to reach the phone and call 911. Unfortunately by the time Metro PD showed up, the sniper was long gone. By the time NCIS Special Agents Gibbs and Shepard showed up it was 2300 hours. "We found this on the rooftop that the sniper fired from" said Gibbs as he handed a Polaroid photo to Webb. It was a picture of Webb, Harm and Lieutenant Colonel Anthony D. DiNozzo of The Delta Force. It was taken outside the Sudanese Embassy, just after the hostage crisis.

"Gibbs, contact Colonel DiNozzo at Fort Bragg, we're gonna need his help with this one" said Webb. "Tell him Clark Palmer is back"

** 0835 hours, 8 May 1999, NCIS Headquarters, Washington Navy Yard, Washington D.C**

Lieutenant Colonel Tony DiNozzo whistled a Frank Sinatra song as he rode the elevator up to the 3rd floor. Tony was dressed in black commando fatigues, his 45. In his shoulder holster, his M9 on his hip, and his Bowie knife sheathed to his right ankle. When the elevator doors opened, the first thing Tony noticed was the hideously colored walls. Then he saw Gibbs, drinking his piping hot black coffee. "Hey Gunny, has anyone ever told you how fucking ugly these walls are" yelled Tony as he threw a folder at Gibbs' chest.

"Ya know, I don't recall asking for your opinion DiNozzo" Gibbs retorted.

"Nice to see you too Colonel" Gibbs smiled.

"I had Tals run the prints off the shell casings and photo, they do in fact belong to former Special Agent Clark Palmer" said Tony.

"Follow me" said Gibbs as he stood up from his desk in the middle of the bullpen. Tony followed Gibbs up the stairs. On the wall of the Mezzanine were 4 big letters "MTAC".

"MTAC, Multiple Threat Assessment Center" said Tony.

"How did you know that?" Gibbs asked him.

"Tali designed it. She's a Fuckin wiz computers and shit like that" Tony explained as they walked into MTAC. Inside, Jenny Shepard and the new NCIS Director, Thomas Morrow was talking to someone. Tony stopped dead in his tracks and hid in the shadows when he saw who it was. From his concealed position he listened in on the conversation.

_"Surely Deputy Director David, you can understand the problems we have with these Al Qaeda attacks on our Personnel in Saudi Arabia"_ Director Morrow said.

"_I understand this problem of yours, Director Morrow, I assure you, just as we did when your Consul General was killed in Riyadh back in December" Eli David assured them._

_ "Thank You Deputy Director" _said Morrow as the feed went dead. With that, Director Morrow and the MTAC Technician left. It was just Jenny and Gibbs left in MTAC when Tony finally crept out of the shadows.

"That piece of shit was lying through his teeth" said Tony.

"Yeah, we know" said Gibbs.

"Alright, so what's the deal, how we gonna protect Harm and Webb?" Tony asked.

"We'll keep them at my place, in Arlington" said Gibbs.

"I hope you don't mean the cemetery" joked Tony. Gibbs gave him look. "I have friend buried there too Gibbs". Tony said. "And ok, I'll make a call, we might need some back up" said Tony as he took his cell phone out of his pocket.

"I thought both your Teams are otherwise occupied?" Gibbs asked.

"They are" Tony replied as he dialed.

"Then who are you calling?" Jenny asked him.

"An old Friend"

** 2115 hours, 8 May 1999, Gibbs Residence, Arlington, Virginia. **

It took some convincing, but Tony finally got Webb and Harm moved to Gibbs' place. The 2 of them were playing cards in Gibbs' dining room while Special Agent Shepard watched over them. Gibbs was down in his basement, doing… something. And Tony was really bored. Tony had already cleaned "Ziva" twice. Throwing the rifle over his shoulder, he opened the door to Gibbs basement and walked down the steps. When he reached the bottom, he saw The Gunny, building a rather large boat. "Holy Shit Gunny, how the hell are you gonna get that outta here?" asked Tony.

"That's the secret DiNozzo, even one you Delta Boys won't find out" said Gibbs with a smile. Tony walked over to Gibbs' work bench and grabbed his bottle of bourbon. He took an empty mason jar a poured his self a glass fun.

"Cheers" he said, lifting up the glass. He threw his head back and downed it all in one swig.

"Jesus Christ DiNozzo, where'd you learn to drink like that?" Gibbs asked, half impressed, half concerned.

"Started after Somalia. I was in command at Crash site #1, so it was my job to write a letter to the parents of every American who died there. It got to the point where I couldn't handle it anymore. To this day, I still haven't made my peace with Stephanie Shughart" said Tony as he poured himself another drink.

"Her husband received The Medal didn't he?" Gibbs asked, referring to The Congressional Medal of Honor.

"Yeah, he has a CMH, just like me, only he was 6 feet under by the time Clinton got around to giving it to him" said Tony as she threw back the glass again. "Alright, no more, I need my head to be clear" said Tony as he put down the empty Mason jar.

"Is that a BAR?" Gibbs asked, pointing to "Ziva". Tony laughed.  
"'Ziva' is a Modified BAR Scatter Gun" explained Tony.

"You named it 'Ziva'?" Gibbs asked.

"It's Her, I named her 'Ziva', and yes I did" said Tony proudly.

"Why?"

"Cause my Sniper Rifle is named 'Liat'" said Tony with a smile.

"Again, why?"

"In Hebrew, Liat literally means 'You are mine' and believe me, if I get you in my sights, you are mine" said Tony, all serious.

"What kind of rifle do you use?" Gibbs' asked, Tony's mentioning of his sniper rifle had peeked the former Force Recon Scout Sniper's interests.

"AWP" Tony replied.

"FMJ or hollow point?"

"Full Metal Jacket" Tony replied.

"Confirmed Kills?"

"16" Tony replied confidently. "What about you Gunny?" Tony asked.

"M-40" Gibbs replied.

"A 'Kate' as you Jarheads call it, beautiful name" said Tony with a smile, drawing a look form Gibbs. "My wife's name" Tony explained.

"5 Confirmed Kills" Gibbs said.

"Well, I was there for 4 of them, in China" Tony said, then a though popped into his head. "If I recall, just after the Gulf War, there was this Drug Lord who was murdered in Northern Mexico, one Pedro Hernandez. He had been accused of murdering 3 people, an NIS Special Agent and Women and Child. The Shooter". Tony paused "It was you wasn't it? They were your wife and daughter". Gibbs remained silent, but Tony had gotten his answer. "Look Gunny, I have killed people too. And if certain friends of these people knew that it was me, they wouldn't hesitate in killing me. Your secret is safe with me" Tony assured him.

"You were The 'Riviere-du-Loup Shooter'?" Gibbs asked, and Tony nodded. "You know that you're #1 on Mossad's Most Wanted list" Gibbs pointed out. Tony just shrugged his shoulders.

"So what, Numbers 1-3 on The Unit's Most Wanted List are Mossad. Well, 1 and 3 are, I already got #2" Tony smiled. There conversation was suddenly and abruptly by massive amounts of gunfire.

Bullets crashed through the front of Gibbs house. "Jenny" Gibbs yelled as he dropped the sandpaper he had in his hand and tore up the stairs. Tony grabbed "Ziva" off of Gibbs' workbench and quickly followed. Bullets were tearing through the 1st floor from multiple directions. Gibbs and Jenny had drawn their P-226 Sig Sauers, Webb with his Glock-17 and Harm with his M9.

"Everyone downstairs now!" Tony ordered as he flicked the safety off "Ziva". Tony approached the blown out front window, A fired a quick burst from his BAR. "GO!" he ordered. The 4 others all fired out of different windows, in all different directions. They emptied their clips.

"I'm out" Harm yelled as he retreated into the basement. Webb followed right behind.

"Jenny come on" Said Gibbs as he grabbed his partner by the waist and dragged her down into the basement. Tony took cover below the window.

"Lord make me fast, make me accurate" he prayed. He quickly popped up and fired 2 quick bursts, dropping 2 of the shooters. He popped up again, and fired the remained of his clip. He ducked back down; kicking himself, the remainder of his ammo was in the truck of his Mustang, which was parked outside. He dropped the rifle on Gibbs' couch and made a beeline for the basement door, drawing his 45. and M9 as he did. As he approached the door, a grenade came crashing through one of the side windows. It landed right in front on the open basement door. Tony quickly kicked the door closed and dove in the opposite direction. The grenade went off, Tony took a face full of shrapnel, the right side of his face was pelted with shrapnel. "AHHHH!" he screamed. It took a few seconds for the ringing in his ears to die down. He stood up, blood dripping from the right side of his face. He raised his weapons as he saw the front door kicked in. he fired 8 shots at the 2 men that had rushed in, 5 from the M9 and 3 from the 45. another man rushed in and Tony quickly fired 3 more shots. He walked forward, empting both clips, killing 3 more men. Tony was out of ammo. He drew his only remaining weapon, his Bowie knife and prepared himself for hand-to-hand combat. The remaining hostiles must have realized Tony was out of ammo, as they stopped shooting. A man came walking through the door.

"Tony! How's it going Buddy?" asked Clark Palmer as he stepped forward, a Tokarev TT-33 Pistol in his hand. "Aww, out of ammo, too bad" said Palmer with a sadistic smile. He stepped forward as gunshots rang outside. Palmer turned to see what it was and Tony dove for cover. As he did, a bullet struck him in the right shoulder causing him to drop his pistol. A man came rushing forward, kicking Palmer's pistol away.

"Freeze" The man yelled, pointing his M9 Pistol at Palmer's Chest. He put his boot on Palmer's chest, pinning him to the floor. then the man looked up and yelled "Tony!"

"Tom!" Tony yelled back as he recognized the voice. Tony pulled himself off the ground, only to collapse back down again. He rolled onto his back and moved his hand to his stomach. He felt blood running through his fingers, he had been hit again. "Fuck me" he complained. The man kicked palmer in the side of the head, knocking him out, and then rushed over to Tony.

"You ok Movie Buff?" he asked.

"I am for now, till Kate finds out, I'm gonna get my 5th Purple Heart for this wound, and my 6th after Kate gets a hold of me" Tony joked with a smile. The man applied pressure to the wound, trying not to laugh. Tony grunted and sat up against the wall. "I owe you one, Marshlands" said Tony as he put his hand on Tom Colleton's shoulder.

"Are you kidding, I've been doing nothing for the past 11 months, I miss this shit" Colleton joked. The door to the basement swung open. Colleton quickly raised his weapon and aimed it at the now open door. Gibbs, Jenny, Webb and Harm exited. Recognizing them, Tom lowered his weapon.

"I thought you were dead" joked Webb with a smile.

"You better watch it Clay, or I'll kill you" Tom said with a smile. They all laughed.

"Hey Gunny, you wanna cuff that piece of shit before I shoot em" said Tony as he pointed over to the unconscious Clark Palmer.

** 0545 hours, 10 May 1999, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

After spending the day after a day at Bethesda getting the bullet pulled out of gut, Tony had finally driven home to Fort Bragg. Webb had called a friend at the Pentagon and the paper work had been filed and approved for Tony's 5th Purple Heart. _Kate's gonna kill me _he thought as he pulled into his driveway. He shut off the engine and got out of the car, groaning as he did it. He went to his trunk and retrieved "Ziva". He walked inside and laid "Ziva" down on the kitchen table. Three was sitting there, and looked up from his bowl of cereal. He noticed his father was clutching his side, again. "Mom's gonna kill ya" he said as he took another bite of his cereal.

"It's not even 0600, what the hell are you doing up?" Tony asked.

"It's Monday, I have school in just over an hour" Three replied.

"Oh, have a good day at school" Tony mumbled as he made his way to his bedroom. He kicked off his shoes and curled up next to his beautiful wife Kate. He wrapped his arm around her body as she moved in closer.

"I missed you" she whispered, pulling his arm around her.

"I missed you too" he whispered back as he drifted off to sleep.

**A/N- Next time on "28 Seconds"-**

** It's Three's High School Graduation, but with the Boys from Alpha Team scattered across the globe, will they make it home in time to see Three receive his diploma. Meanwhile, Chaos ensues when Three means his new older sister, Liat. In a chapter full of twists and turns, and all out surprises, The Unit receives a new Commander, but will it be the one everybody expects? It all ends with Three making a shocking announcement. **

** This will be a chapter you won't want to miss!**

**A/N- PLEASE REVIEW!**


	38. Chapter 38

**A/N- Yes, I know that Three is 16 years old, and Yes he is graduating High School 2 years early. But, much like his father, he is a genius. **

**Chapter 38**

**Commencement**

**0830 Hours, 23 June 1999, International Terminal, Charlotte International Airport, Charlotte, North Carolina.**

Liat DiNozzo was exhausted as she retrieved he bag from the overhead compartment. She had just spent 12 hours on a Red-Eye flight from Tel-Aviv, Israel. But, while she may have been exhausted, she was overwhelmed with excitement, she was meeting her little brother Three and her Imma for the 1st time. She grabbed her duffle and threw it over her shoulder. She exited the plane and headed for Customs. "Passport Please" asked The US Customs inspector. Liat reached into her pocket and pulled out her passport. "Liat DiNozzo, American" The Customs Inspector read aloud to his partner. The Partner typed Liat's particulars into the computer.

"DiNozzo, Liat Mariella, born 17 March, 1983. Eldest daughter of Anthony and Caitlin DiNozzo Jr. Place of Residence: Fort Bragg, North Carolina" he read aloud from the computer screen. The 1st inspector placed Liat's passport down and stamped the date of entry.

"Welcome Home Ms. DiNozzo" said the inspector as he handed Liat her passport.

"Thank You" she said as she walked through the gate. She was as jumpy as schoolgirl. Her favorite part about having her passport checked: None of the information was false. She had been formally adopted by Tony and Kate. Apparently her Abba had some good friends in high place, or perhaps in low places. Either way, her citizenship had been granted, and if she so chose, she could legally remain in the United States. She wouldn't though. While there was nothing she wanted more than to live in The United States with her family, she knew where her place was. She would remain at Mossad Headquarters, making sure that they never learned that her Abba was the "Riviere-du-Loup Shooter" and that several times he had tried to kill Deputy Director David. She would only be in the United States for a few weeks, in order to see her brother receive his diploma and to be baptized. Ever since her Abba had told her about how Tali had converted, she had wanted to do the same. Liat loved Israel, but she had strongly felt that people like Eli David and Michael Rivkin were what gave it a bad name. Also, Liat had never been a religious person, and while she was Jewish by birth, she had never practiced it. At 13 instead of having her Batmizvah, she had been forced into Mossad training. And she knew that her family wasn't very religious either. While yes, they went to church on Sundays, at least when Tony wasn't out of the Country, and Tony prayed every night, but give the nature of his jib that was certainly understandable. She loved her family, and wanted to be able to enjoy Christmas and Easter with them. If Tali could do it, so would she.

Liat exited the terminal and looked around, up ahead she saw a very young man, who looked like a 16-year old version of her Abba. He young man was holding a sign that read "DiNozzo". Liat smiled, it was her brother. She waved over to him. He smiled back realizing who she was. Liat skipped over to him and engulfed her little brother in a huge hug.

"Liat…can't…breathe" he managed to get out in short bursts.

"Oh, sorry" she said releasing him. He hugged her again and kissed her on the cheek.

"Welcome Home" he said, as he grabbed her duffle bag.

"Thank you" she said as she kissed his cheek back. "Did you drive here?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm parked just over there" he said pointing to one of the parking lots. "It's about an hour and a half drive back to the base" he explained. They walked over to a beautiful red Ford 1970 Mustang Mach 1. Three opened the truck and threw Liat's duffle bag in. he slammed the trunk shut and opened the driver door and got in, Liat was already in the passenger's seat.

"Is this yours?" she asked.

"Yep, Ford 1970 Mustang Mach 1, driven by"

"Sean Connery as James Bond in Diamonds Are Forever. Yes?" she asked.

"James Bond fan?" Three asked.

"When I first met our Father, he used several James Bond quotes on me. My favorite was '_Steel-tipped, KGB Snipers usually wear body armor'_" she said with a smile.

"Timothy Dalton, The Living Daylights, MGM 1987" said Three with a huge smile.

"So, Abba tells me that you have had many offers from for Football, Basketball and Baseball from many colleges" Liat said.

"Yes, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Florida, Florida State, Alabama, LSU, Texas, USC and Stanford for Football. Duke, UNC, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Florida State, Michigan State, UCLA, Syracuse and UCONN for Basketball. And finally UNC, Rice, USC, UTEP, and Duke for Baseball" he said, in a mild manner. "I've also been contacted by several MLB and NBA teams" he finished. "Also, because our father has The Medal of Honor, I've been accepted to West Point, Annapolis, Coast Guard and Air Force"

"What have you decided?" she asked. Three looked over at her. They were on the interstate and the highway was deserted. He slammed his foot on the throttle and shifted into 5th gear. He was still looking at his sister as the Mustang accelerated past 100 mph.

"Shouldn't yours eyes be on the road?" she asked, looking right back at him.

"Why, think I'm gonna crash" he asked with a grin that could rival their fathers. She laughed as Three turned his attention back to the road and down shifted into 4th gear.

"So what have you decided?" she asked him again.

"You'll see' he said as the Mustang sped along the highway.

** 1300 hours local time, 23 June 1999, Kandahar Province, Afghanistan. **

"Let's go, we only get one shot at this" said Movie Buff as he watched Hitman and Ironman setup the laser designator. "Blue Star, location of target vehicle?" he asked into his radio.

_"Target vehicle approaching target area" _Malachi replied.

"Copy that" Tony replied as he raised his binoculars to his face. He watched as the Mercedes-Benes drove up the sloped road towards the weapons factory.

"LD is set" said Chester, as he walked over to Tony.

"Ok, Blue Star, get your Six back here" Tony ordered.

_"On my way" _Malachi replied.

"Ironman, paint the target" Tony ordered. Chester went prone and switched on the laser designator.

"Target marked" he replied a few seconds later.

"Badman-One, This is Movie Buff, Target is lit up" Tony said into his radio as he looked up to the sky.

"_Copy that Movie Buff, time on target, 30 seconds" _The voice replied. 30 seconds later, an F-18 Interceptor passed overhead, going at least Mach 1. 2 cluster bombs were released from its rack and the bombs fell to earth. Tony's eyes followed the bomb as it hit the target. The Weapons factory and the Mercedes blow up into a million pieces.

"Good bye Mr. and Mrs. Ben-Lev' said Tony with a smile. Michael and Rivka Ben-Lev, Simon Ben-Lev's parents, were Eli David's biggest distributors of his information and weapons.

"At this rate, we should be putting Eli David out of business by" joked Chester.

"2056" said Tony. "I mean yes, we've certainly put a dent in Eli's network, but he'll just find new people. Hell, he still has his bastard son Ari and Rivkin leading his 2 Best Kidon Teams" said Tony in frustration as Chester and Billy broke down the laser designator.

"We'll get em' Top, all of em'" said Mal, putting his hand on his best friend's shoulder. Then Tony noticed something down the road from where there beat-up Jeep Cherokee was parked.

"Something's kicking up dust" said Tony pointing as he raised his binoculars to his face. "Shit, 2 Land Rovers, Afghani Government markings, moving this way" said Tony as he tore the binoculars off his neck. "Ironman, get the LAW. Hitman, watch his back. Blue Star with me" ordered Tony. He and Malachi grabbed their M4s and ran to opposite sides of the road. They dug themselves into strong concealed positions. The Land Rovers were approaching at high speeds, but they were low to the ground, which told Tony that they were weighed down, most likely, by people with guns.

Chester fired the LAW. The rocket shrieked through the air and crashed through the windshield of the 2nd Land Rover. The Land Rover exploded, sending shrapnel, metal and body parts everywhere. The 1st Land Rover sped up, trying to get away from the destruction. As it approached them, Tony and Malachi stood up from their positions by the side of the road and opened fire on the oncoming vehicle. The bullets from their M4s crashed through the engine block, front tires, and windshield, bring the vehicle to a sudden halt. With no time to reload, Tony slung his rifle across his back and rushed forward. Grabbing his hatchet off his belt, he threw open the rear driver's side door. The man sitting there went to raise his weapon, but Tony reached in and threw him to the ground. The man rolled to the edge of the road and Tony jumped onto of him. Raising the hatchet, Tony slammed in home with elite precision. He slammed the hatchet 3 times into the man's chest and neck. He hit the man so hard, the 4th and final shot snapped the man's snipe. From behind Tony, another man exited the vehicle. He raised his AK-74 to shoot Tony when suddenly spun around, the hatchet flying from his fingertips. The hatchet spun through the air before it slammed into the man's face, causing his skull to crack slightly as he was thrown back into the vehicle by the force of the impact. Tony's adrenaline was flowing full force now, as he was at his most alert. Tony took several deep breaths, slowly regaining his composure. He stood up and retrieved his hatchet, using the dead man's shirt to wipe the blade clean.

**1145 hours, 24 June 1999, Unit Chapel, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

It was now official. Liat Mariella DiNozzo had been officially baptized as a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Former Colonel Thomas Colleton and 1st Lieutenant Bridget Sullivan had stood as her Godparents. Liat's only regret was that her father hadn't been there to see it. But she understood why he wasn't their. He was off saving the world or killing a bad guy. He was doing his job. And she very well couldn't hate his job, since it was his job that had 1st brought her Abba to Israel in the 1st place. Liat was dressed in a beautiful, yet conservative satin blue dress. With her Imma, little brother Three, Tals, her Aunt Megan, Terri Bauer and her daughter Kim watching, The Unit Chaplin had baptized her. Everyone gave kisses on the cheek and hugs, congratulating her. As the group walked out of the Chapel, Liat said "I only wish my Abba was here to see it". Everyone wanted to have a party to celebrate Liat's Baptism, but Liat declined and said they should wait until the next night, after Three received his Diploma.

**0905 hours, 25 June 1999, Runway #2, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

_Ever try changing into a Class-A Dress Uniform in the cargo hold of a C-130 flying through a storm? Well don't_ Tony thought as the C-130 touched down. The 4 men were all dressed in their Class-A Dress Uniforms and they quickly rushed out when the rear gate dropped. They all rushed off the plane. Tony running to his blue 1967 Ford Mustang, Malachi to his white 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS, and Chester to his black 1997 Dodge Ram. Billy was sprinting to his red 1995 Pontiac Thunderbird, when Tony's voice stopped him. "Hitman, you have the T.O.C" ordered Tony.

"Aw come on Top, why can't Ironman do it?" Billy complained.

"After the stunt he pulled last time? Calling General Bowden at 3 in the morning trying to sell him weight loss pills? "Tony yelled, causing both Malachi and Chester to burst out laughing. "Hey" Tony yelled, pointing at Chester. "You ever put that again, and I'll have you cleaning latrines with your tongue until you can't taste the difference between shit and French fries" Tony threatened. "Hooah?" Tony asked him.

"Hooah" replied Chester, who knew full well that Tony would follow through with his threat. They all jumped into their vehicles and sped off.

**0910 hours, 25 June 1999, General William T. Sherman Field, Fort Bragg High School, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

Everyone had taken their seats, which were in the bleachers on the home side of the football field. The ceremony would take place on the field itself. The graduating students, who were dressed in cap and gown, were seated in alphabetical order, putting Three in the 5th row. "Where are they?" Kate asked looking at her watch. In the background, they heard engines approaching.

"That sounds like them" Tali said as they watched a blue 1967 Mustang, a white 1970 Chevy Chevelle SS and black 1997 Dodge ram pull into the parking lot next to the field. They watched as 3 of the 4 Alpha Boys jumped out of their respective vehicles. Dressed in their Class-A dress uniforms, they made a mad dash for the bleachers. As Tony found his seat next to Kate, she gave him a look.

"You're Late" she said, scolding him.

"By 10 minutes, and you know what they say, better late than never" said Tony with his 1000-watt smile. Kate responded by punching him in the arm. "Hey, I'm here to see him get the diploma, so I missed the principal talk, so what?" Tony asked. This time, Kate smiled as she leaned in and kissed her husband. They watch for a few minutes as the 1st 4 rows of students received their diplomas.

"_Anthony Dominick DiNozzo III" _read the principal as Three walked up and received his diploma.

**0930 hours, 25 June 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

Having shed his Class-A uniform, Billy was dressed in his civvies when he walked into the T.O.C. he expected to find it empty, as everyone was at Three's Graduation. When he walked through the doors, he found a man, a Colonel, judging by The Eagles on his shoulder boards and collar. He was sitting on Tali's desk, reading files, the Unit's personnel files. "Can I help you?" Billy asked, his right hand dropping to his M9.

"Who are you?" The Colonel asked.

"2nd Lieutenant William Hazard and those files are classified" Billy replied, his hand ready to put his weapon at a fraction of a second's notice.

"Ah yes, 2nd Lieutenant William Hazard, West Point Class of 1996, graduated 3rd in your class, De Jure Alpha Team Leader, although, Lieutenant Colonel DiNozzo seems to prefer you as his #2" said The Colonel.

"Who the hell are you?" Billy asked.

"Colonel Edward James 'EJ' Barrett" he replied.

"That's fucking fantastic; now what the hell are you doing here?" Billy asked. The Colonel smiled and stood up and smirked.

"I'm your new CO"

**1015 hours, 25 June 1999, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

After Three had received his diploma, everyone had adjured back to the DiNozzo's house for the celebration. Everyone was eager with anticipation to hear Three's decision. Once everybody had gotten a drink, they all gathered around. Kate, Meg and Terri Bauer all had glasses of wine; Kim Bauer had a bottle of water; Tony, Malachi, Chester, Bridget, and Tom Colleton all had Killan's Irish Red Beer, and finally Three, Tali, and now even Liat, much to Tony's annoyance, all had 'Double Gulps' of Mountain Dew from 7-11.

"Come on little man, what's the final decision?" Tom asked him. Three took a deep breath.

"I have made my decision, and it is quite final. I did not come to this lightly, although it was an easy decision, as I plan to follow in the footsteps of my father before me" he explained as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blank white envelope. "In this envelope, is my decision, and I would like my Sister Liat, to be the one to read it" said Three as he handed the envelope to Liat. Liat placed down her Mountain Dew and took the envelope. She opened it and removed a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it. Liat's eyes widened and her jaw dropped as she read it. It was certainly not the career path she would have liked to see her little brother pursue. She gulped and took a deep breath. She folded the paper back up and placed it back in the envelope. "My baby brother has, um" she paused and took another deep breath. "Enlisted" she finished. Three smiled as he watched everyone's jaws drop.

**A/N- So there you have it folks, Three enlisted in The United States Army. Did anyone recognize The New Colonel's Name? And what is your reaction to Three's decision?**

**Stay tuned though, as there are still a few chapters to go in Part One. And don't worry, there will be a Sequel. I haven't decided on it's name yet, so I thought I'd let you guys help me. My ideas are:**

**-"28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"**

** -"28 Seconds: Brotherhood"**

** -"28 Seconds: Sacrifice"**

** -"28 Seconds: DiNozzo's Inferno"- (A play off the book/Movie title "Dante's Inferno"**

** -"28 Seconds: No Surrender, No Retreat" **

** -"28 Seconds: Walk in Hell"**

** -"28 Seconds: Never Back Down"**

**Let me know what you think!**

**P.S- To all my loyal readers and fellow Fan Fiction Writers, a friend of mine, **

"**Shortcake 99****" is currently writing an amazing NCIS fan fiction story entitled "Change" it is an AU High School fic, it is really amazing, and it has tons of TIVA!**

**So, take my word for it, kick back and enjoy a great Fic, look up "Change" by "****Shortcake 99****". Just read it. If you like it, leave her a nice review. PLESAE!**

**Thank You!**

**P.S- PLEASE REVIEW!**


	39. Chapter 39

**A/N- The Following takes place during The JAG Episode: "Rogue" (Season 5, Episode 7)**

** 0435 hours, 12 October 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

It had been almost 5 months since Three's graduation. In that time, Three had finished Boot Camp at Fort Benning in Georgia and was still there, in his final week of Paratrooper School. He had graduated Basic Training with Honors, and received a promotion to Private 1st Class. The fact that Three was also an Eagle Scout, earned him another promotion to Corporal.

Liat had returned to Israel, despite the pleas of both her parents to stay. However, this time she was doing so as an official member of The Delta Force. Colonel Barrett and Clayton Webb had filed all the paperwork under the table. Mossad was still absolutely clueless as to Liat's new family, or her real reasons for coming to America. At first Tony felt horrible about using his own Daughter as a spy, he felt it was like what Eli David had done with his own children. But both Three and Liat had convinced him otherwise. While Eli's children had all been forced into Mossad, Three had Enlisted voluntarily, and Liat had gone back to Israel to spy on Mossad, voluntarily. They had told him that by allowing them to make their own life choices, Tony was actually being a better parent.

At 0415 that morning, Colonel Barrett had called Malachi and Tony into The T.O.C. They both moaned and complained about it, and reluctantly dragged their asses out of bed and reported in. "This better be important Colonel" Tony threatened as he walked in, Malachi not far behind.

"Just shut up and sit down" Barrett ordered. They complied without further complaint. "The U.S.S Tiger Shark, one our Fast-Attack Submarines, has been high-jacked from Groton" Barrett informed them.

"How?" Tony asked.

"Routine Security test, PMC hired to try and steal it" Barrett explained. "Only it wasn't The PMCs that showed up" he said as he passed a photo to Tony and Malachi. "Either of you recognizer him?" asked Barrett, in a tone that suggested he expected that at least one of them would.

"Mossad Officer and Kidon Operative Joshua Hadar" Malachi explained. "He is Ari Haswari's #2 of his Kidon Team, Much like Simon Ben-Lev was Rivkin's #2. Joshua Hadar's older brother Amit is a Mossad Control Officer" Malachi told them.

"So Eli David is having another one of his boys to steal one of our subs" Tony paused, looking up at Colonel Barrett. "What's the plan Colonel?" he asked.

"Not gonna lie to you boys, this one is dangerous, and the plan we've come up with is, pretty stupid" said Barrett.

"Stupid is Tony's specialty" joked Mal. Tony punched him in the arm, rather forcefully. "Ow" Malachi moaned as he put his hand on his shoulder.

"Fuck you Mal" said Tony. Then he turned to Barrett once again. "Come on Colonel, it can't be that stupid" said Tony.

**0315 hours, 13 October 1999, U.S.S Ericson, Long Island Sound, 35 miles north of Northport Harbor**

"I take it back, this is really stupid" complained Tony as he and Malachi put on their wetsuits. The US Navy had managed to keep the Tiger Shark contained within an 50 500 square mile radius in the Long Island Sound. That part of the plan was fine with Tony. It was the next phase that had him pissed the fuck off.

"Stop complaining" retorted Malachi.

"Oh yeah?" countered DiNozzo. "Have you ever tried breaking into a moving submarine through its escape hatch, while it's submerged?" Tony asked, know full well what the answer was.

"No" replied Mal.

"Didn't think so" Tony replied with an "I told you so" grin. As their argument droned on, a young Petty Officer knocked on their cabin door. "Enter" Tony yelled.

"Captain Enos wants you to know that we are 10 miles from target, and closing fast" the young kid said.

"Thank you son, inform your Captain we'll be over the side in 4 minutes" Tony ordered.

"Yes Sir" replied the kid. He saluted and left. Tony and Mal quickly strapped on their oxygen tanks. They made their way up to the deck, walking over to the railing.

"You Ready?" Tony asked after taking a deep breath.

"As I ever be" Malachi replied. Tony nodded in rely as the stepped off into the icy cold water. The slowly sank down 100 feet. They both switched on their underwater flashlights, and did a 360. Both their heads stopped as they looked to their left. Approaching them, slowly and silently was a long black tube, The Tiger Shark. Tony and Malachi grabbed hold of the conning tower as the sub slipped past them. Fighting the water pressure all the way, they slowly climbed their way down the conning tower. On wrong move and they would be thrown back into the propellers. They slipped down and grabbed the escape hatch door. Using every bit of strength he had, Tony pulled open the hatch. The sudden burst of released air pulled him in slightly, and Malachi followed right behind, shutting the hatch behind him. "They probably know we have arrived, we need to move quickly" said Mal as the 2 men took their oxygen tanks off their backs.

"I know we start at the Conn and work our way back" suggested Tony as he attached a suppressor to his Mac-10 submachine gun. Malachi did the same. "Move" said Tony as he and Mal split up.

Tony reached the Conn, only seconds before Malachi did. "What the hell?" said Mal. They Conn was deserted. The briefing had informed them that at least 12 hostiles were aboard. Tony walked over to one of the consoles. He switched it on.

"She's running on an auto-pilot program" said Tony confused. "Mal, pull the emergency blow and surface the ship" Tony ordered. Mal did as he was told and yanked on the emergency blow value. When he did, all the air was blown from the ballast tanks, forcing the submarine to the surface. Once the boat had leveled out on the surface, Tony used his limited computer skills to stop the auto-pilot program; he emptied his 30-mag into the console. "Crud, but effective" he said, explaining his actions. Malachi only laughed. Tony and Malachi climbed up to the top of the Conning tower. They climbed up onto the observation deck, and discovered that the sub was surrounded by several ships. "So Top, why do you risk starting World War III, to steal a sub, and then not even board it, and only send it a few miles into the sound?" Malachi asked. Tony thought about that for a minute.

"Good question, and truthfully? I have no fucking idea" Tony replied, rather gravely.

**0945 hours, 13 October 1999, Clayton Webb's office, C.I.A Headquarters, Langley, Virginia. **

Clayton Webb was sitting at his desk, reading some intelligence reports, when a very beautiful woman walked in his office. He looked up and recognized her immediately. "Mrs. DiNozzo" he said standing up.

"Mr. Webb, I need to speak with you" she said sitting down in a chair in front of Webb's desk. She took a breath before speaking. "Mr. Webb, my husband has risked his life you time and time again on your crazy operations. Now I know Tony thinks you've repaid him by getting our Daughter Liat into The Unit, for which I am grateful, but I have come here to have you re-pay me" she said. Webb's faced showed a look of utter confusion on his face.

"And how would I do that?" Webb asked, suspiciously.

"Mr. Webb, My husband and both of my children, Three and Liat, both proudly serve their country, I would like to do the same" she said.

"I can understand that Mrs. DiNozzo, I truly can. Both my parents served, my Father was one of The Founders of The C.I.A, and my mother was an NSA Intel Analyst. That's why I joined the Agency. But in your case, your husband and children all work for the Unit, and no offense, you're not qualified for such a position" Webb explained to her.

"I know that, but I have a degree in Criminal Justice from Ohio State, and I am a skilled marksman" she said as she took a piece of paper out of her bag, placed it on Webb's desk, and slid it across to him. Webb picked it up off the desk and quickly read it.

"You're sure about this?" he asked.

"And endorsement from you would go a long way" she said.

"Why do you think that?" Webb asked her.

"I thought you were a 'Deputy Undersecretary of State'" she said, Webb laughed.

"What does your husband think about this?" Webb asked, still laughing.

"He doesn't know yet" Kate explained.

"He'll kill me if I endorse this" Webb stated.

"If you don't, I'll kill you now" she threatened. "Would you rather die now or later?" she asked with a smile. Webb smiled back.

"Ok Mrs. DiNozzo, you have my endorsement" said Webb as he signed it, and filed out the necessary information.

**1915 hours, 13 October 1999, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina.**

Tony and Malachi were sitting at Tali's Desk, waiting for Colonel Barrett. "Think he found anything?" Malachi asked him.

"I fuckin hope so" Tony replied. Both their heads shot up as Barrett walked through the door. "Any news Sir?" Tony asked.

"Unfortunately, yes. I think we've figured out why Officer Hadar sent y'all on a will goose chase" said Barrett as Tali walked. She walked over to the large computer screen. A few key strokes later, a diagram appeared on the large wall screen.

"The SS-7" said Tony, reading the corner of the diagram. "What is it?" he asked Tali.

"A Surface-to-Surface Cruise Missile. It's a new design, which incorporates stealth technology with the speed of Sidewinder and range of a tomahawk. It's the next of SS Missile technology" Tali explained.

"The SS-7s are stored in Groton, Connecticut" said Colonel Barrett.

"The Tiger Shark's home port" said Tony as he laughed at himself. "Those motherfuckers sent us on a wild goose chase" said Tony as he slammed his fist down on Tali's desk.

"A fishing trawler brought them out into international waters where they rendezvoused with an Israeli fast boat" said Barrett.

"Colonel, is this not an Act of War?" asked Malachi, who had been silent thus far, but now spoke up when he realized his country could be in trouble. Israel was powerful yes, but was certainly no match for America and her massive Nuclear Arsenal.

"Yes and no" said Colonel Barrett. "When The C.I.A does stuff like this, they have to answer to The American People for their actions. With Mossad, Prime Minister Netanyahu gives them a lot of room to operate" he explained.

"What does that all add up to?" asked Tony.

"Nothing, President Clinton has been notified, and he orders are quote 'the SS-7 must be recovered before it reaches Israeli soil' end quote" explained Barrett. "Just one problem: The fast Boat has disappeared" said Barrett gravely.

"Think they RVed with a Sub?" Tony suggested.

"It's the only thing that makes sense" said Barrett.

"Which means?" Mal asked.

"I'm reminded of a quote, _'That Wily-grey fox has outmaneuvered our command again'_ Major General Winfred Scott Hancock, December, 1862" said Tony.

"Who was he speaking of?" Tali asked, her knowledge of American History was still a little lacking.

"Robert E. Lee" said Barrett, remembering the quote from his days at West Point.

"So Eli David is Robert E. Lee?" Tali asked.

"No, Eli is a piece of shit" said Tony.

**2045 hours, 13 October 1999, DiNozzo Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

"Hey babe, I'm home" yelled Tony as he walked through the front door. He walked into the kitchen as came up behind his wife as she made dinner. He closed his arms around her waist as he asked. "How was your day?"

"Productive" she replied, simply. "I ran into your friend Clay" she told him.

"And what was everyone's favorite spook doing here at Bragg?"

"He wasn't here, I was in Langley" she told him.

"Why?" he asked. She pointed to the kitchen table. Tony walked over to it and picked up the piece of paper lying there. He quickly read it before replying "Why?" Tony asked.

"With you and the kids in the Unit, I want to serve my Country too" she said.

"And this is how you want to do it?" Tony asked. Kate nodded yes. "Ok then" he said as he took a pen out of his pocket and signed next to where Webb had earlier. "Welcome to The United States Secret Service"

**A/N- ok folks, I'm going to be wrapping up "28 Seconds" in the next few chapters. But don't worry; there will certainly be a sequel, although I haven't title it yet. But keep sending in your ideas for it.**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**P.S- Please take the time to look up the story ****"CHANGE" by Shortcake99**** its awesome!**


	40. Sky Train

**Chapter 40**

"**SKY TRAIN"**

**2155 hours, 5 June 2000, Unit Locker room, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

It had been a very rough 8 months for Lieutenant Colonel Anthony "Tony" Dominick DiNozzo aka "Movie Buff". Three had finished Paratrooper training and had been assigned to The 82nd Airborne Division, at Fort Bragg. But that had only been for a few weeks before Three began his Ranger training, which took him 6 more months back at Fort Benning. He had hoped and prayed that Three would return home to celebrate his 17th Birthday, but Three had called him and told him he had "other plans". Tony unfortunately understood that. For the past 10 years, he had missed almost all of Three's Birthdays.

Kate was now officially a member of The United States Secret Service, and consequently was now living in Washington D.C. Tony missed his wife very much. Deep down he wished she had never taken the job, but he knew he had no right to stop her. For 17 years she had been by his side, as he loyal and loving wife. After they had graduated college, she hadn't done anything besides being a housewife and mother. Every night, Tony would pray that Kate would continue to be loyal to him.

And then there was Liat. Liat was still in Israel. She had spent the past 8 months searching for wherever Eli David had had his people stash the SS-7. and in that 8 month period, she had come up with nothing. Liat was now of the opinion that Eli had stashed the missile somewhere outside of Israel. This was good and bad. Good, because once it was located, Tony and his Team could go in and get it. But at the same time, Liat would have to expand her search parameters from just Israel to the entire globe. Despite having only been in Tony's life for just over a year and a half, Liat had truly impacted him. she had become his daughter. When she had come to The States for her brother's graduation, she had also become an Operator. She had gotten her Unit tattoo and her 22. Caliber Hi-Standard Pistol. She was his daughter, his hija, hit bat. No matter what language you spoke, she was family, and he missed her very much.

What all that added up to was simple; Tony was alone. It was 10 o'clock at night, and he was sitting, alone, in the Unit locker room enjoying, or at least pretending to enjoy, a cold bottle of Killan's Irish Red Beer. He was deep in his thoughts, and didn't even notice when Malachi walked in. Malachi grabbed a Coors Lite from the fridge and sat down across the table from Tony. Mal popped the cap off the beer and took a long pull. Then he set the bottle down on the table and flicked the bottle cap right in Tony's face. When the cap hit his face, Tony looked up. "You ok Top?" Mal asked him. Tony let out a long sigh.

"Yeah, I guess" he said, as he took another swig of the Killan's.

"You don't sound it" Mal replied. "Missing your Family?" he asked.

"I just really miss Kate ya know" said Tony.

"Do you trust her?" Mal asked, referring to Kate's fidelity.

"Of course" in a tone that suggested he was so sure.

"Do you really think she'd cheat on you?" Mal asked

"I hope not, but truthfully, I can't say that I would blame her. We were only married because she was pregnant, and I haven't exactly been the greatest husband" complained Tony. "When Meg married Chester, she knew what she was getting into". I brought Kate into this" sulked Tony.

"Do you think Kate regrets marrying you?" Mal asked.

"I think sometimes she would rather have married someone who was in a safer job" said Tony.

"Wouldn't have that problem with Ziva" Malachi mumbled under his breath.

"What?" questioned Tony.

"Nothing" answered Malachi rather quickly.

"I heard what you said Mal" retorted Tony. "What does Ziva David have to do with any of this?" Tony asked.

"Oh come on, I saw your face the 1st time you saw Ziva, back in 1991, on the runway in Haifa" said Malachi with a smile.

"As I recall, she nearly ran the 2 of us over" joked Tony.

"What's sad is, that's very true" replied Malachi with a smile. "But still, I remember the look of sheer love on your face" said Mal as he poked his finger into Tony's chest. "Plus, there's that little promise you made to Ziva back in Peru when you thought me and Chester couldn't hear you" said Mal.

"I have no idea what you are talking about Brotha" said Tony as he took a long pull of his beer. _FUCK me_ he thought to himself, he had been sure that no one heard him that night.

"Oh really? So you didn't say '_Ziva, I know you can't possibly hear this, but I want you to know, I will kill Michael Rivkin for what he did to you. I promise'_ you didn't say that?" Mal asked.

"Maybe I did, so what?" Tony asked.

"Every one of us has a million reasons to kill Michael Rivkin. Yet, you chose that specific one. Why?" Mal asked. Before Tony could respond, Mal continued. "I'll tell you why, because you, my Brotha, are in love with Ziva David" said mal with a huge grin.

"I am not" Tony denied.

"Oh really" countered Mal. "Tony, how many women have you slept with?" Mal asked him.

"One. I've only slept with the women I love." Replied Tony.

"And who is that?" asked Mal quickly, hoping his plan would work.

"Ziva" answered Tony just as quickly. A look of shocked appeared on his face once he had realized what he had said. "Kate, I mean Kate, I mean Kate, I mean Kate" Tony repeated.

"I knew it" Mal said as he jumped out of his seat. "I knew it, I knew it. You are in love with another woman. You are in love with Ziva David" said Malachi with a humongous smile on his face.

"Shut up you asshole, if Chester hears you I'll never hear the end about it" warned Tony.

"Ah, don't worry about it, He and the kid are off doing 'Selection'" said Mal. Despite the fact that Billy had now been in The Unit for 3 years now, and had also been promoted to 1st Lieutenant, Captain Bauer, Tony and Malachi still called him "The Kid". "Ya know, I've always known you were in love with her. I knew it. It was that look in your eyes when you first saw Ziva. It was a combination of fear of being run over and that of love" bragged Mal. "Don't worry, I won't say anything to your wife. I know you still love Kate very much" Mal reassured him. "But you know who you should tell" said Mal.

"A Psychiatrist?" said Tony, being completely serious.

"Ziva" said Mal with a smile.

"Yeah, ok, sure. Because I'm sure she'd fall right back in love with the guy who's spent the past 2 years trying to kill her father" said Tony as he finished his beer and stood up to get another one.

"Tali doesn't have a problem with it" Mal pointed out.

"True, but Tals knows the whole story, and plus, she doesn't really consider herself part of The David Family anymore. She's a Colleton, through and through" said Tony as he sat back down, another Killan's Irish Red in his hand.

"Well, I still think that one day you're going to end up with Ziva" said Mal as he leaned back in his chair and put his feet up on the table.

"I think that you should stop reading those romance novels Tali keeps in her desk" said Tony. Mal shot forward and spit out his mouth full of beer. Tony bound over laughing.

"How did you know about that?" Mal asked.

"I didn't… till now" said Tony with a smile.

"You son of a bitch" said Mal as he wiped the beer from his face.

"Speaking of Tals, you ever gonna tell her how you feel?" Tony asked.

"She's one of my best friends nothing more" said Mal, trying not to get tricked again.

"Bullshit" said Tony. "If you can sit there and prod me about Ziva, then I gonna do the same thing to you about Tali" said Tony as he took a swig of his beer.

"Tali and me will never happen" said Mal as he took a long pull of his beer.

"Why not?" asked Tony. "She's obviously into you too" he pointed out.

"She's Tom's daughter" countered Mal.

"So? Tom Colleton isn't our CO anymore" countered Tony right back.

"Still, it isn't right. For 5 years Tom had our backs, not matter what shenanigans" Mal paused when Tony gave him a look. "That's right, shenanigans" said Mal. "No matter what Tom had our backs. I wouldn't be right to go after his Daughter" said Mal, and his grin quickly disappeared.

"Look at you Mr. Chivalry, you keep that up, and you might actually give Israelis a good name" joked Tony.

"Fuck you too Bro" said Mal. Tony responded by raising his beer.

"Here's to Ziva" Tony said. Mal raised his bottle to.

"And to Tali" Mal continued.

"The Women we Love" Tony said.

"But can never have" Mal finished. The 2 men clinked there bottles together and drank em down.

**2030 hours, 6 June 2000, McMurphy's Tavern, Washington D.C**

Colonel Edward James "EJ" Barrett was sitting alone at McMurphy's, nursing his 2 beer of the night. It had been a good night thus far. For the past 9 months, The Colonel had been in a romantic relationship with a Navy psychiatrist named Lieutenant Commander Jordan Parker. She was a stunning blonde and she had the perfect body. The night had gone well; Colonel Barrett had finally introduced Jordan to his daughter, Erica Jane "EJ". They had really hit it off. The night was going great until they bumped into Jordan ex-boyfriend, Navy Commander Harmon Rabb Jr. and his new girlfriend, Renee Petersen. EJ had tried to be civil about it, until Harm made a remark about Jordan being a whore. That did not go over to well with EJ, and he leveled Harm with a left hook. Thankfully, EJ's daughter had already gone back to her dorm at Georgetown University and hadn't witnessed her father beating the crap out of a Navy Lawyer. EJ hadn't hit Harm to impress Jordan; he did it because he was in Love with Jordan, and nobody was going to speak to her that way.

Either way, Jordan wasn't happy and had stormed off. When EJ had tried to catch up to her, she had told him "I need to be alone for a while". EJ had obliged her and gave her some space. And that's how EJ had ended up alone. He was deep in thought when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Buy ya a beer Soldier?" asked a pretty brunette, who was dressed in a suit.

"For you Mrs. DiNozzo… I mean Agent DiNozzo, anything" smiled Colonel Barrett when he saw Tony's wife. Kate sat down next to him.

"No date? Last time I spoke with Tony he told me you were seeing Lieutenant Commander Parker" she asked.

"We ran into her ex-boyfriend, and long story short, me and him got into a fight, and Jordan stormed off" explained EJ.

"That's cute" said Kate as she took a sip on the martini she ordered. "Well look at it this way, Commander Rabb is 36, and you're 45. You still kicked his ass" said Kate with a smile. "West Point Class of 76' vs. Annapolis Class of 85' 'Ding ding'" she said, mimicking a ring bell.

"Funny, funny like a crutch" said Colonel Barrett.

"What does that even mean?" Kate asked.

"I actually have no idea" replied Barrett as they both broke into laughter. Kate downed the rest of her martini. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a woman, a Navy Lieutenant Commander standing by the end of the bar. Kate looked over to her and nodded.

"I believe that pretty young thing at the end of the bar is looking for a mate" said Kate as she stood up and slapped EJ on the back. EJ looked over to the end of the bar and saw Jordan standing there. EJ stood up and walked over to her.

"Hey" he said as he walked over to her. She was still dressed in her uniform, as was Colonel Barrett.

"Hey" she replied softly.

"I'm really sorry. I shouldn't have hit Harm, I over reacted" said EJ, trying to apologize. She placed a finger over his lips.

"Don't apologize. You were just sticking up for me" she said as she went up on her toes and kissed him on the lips.

"I love you Jordan" said EJ as she looked into her eyes, where tears were beginning to build.

"I love you too Edward James Barrett" she replied with a smile. She ran her hand through EJ's hair, which had a hint of grayness too it. He grabbed her hand and they intertwined their fingers as they walked out of the bar into the warm night air. They walked down the street for a dew minutes in a comfortable silence. Finally Jordan spoke. "I really am sorry for over reacting before. It's just, the reason I left harm was because he chose his career over me, and when I saw you hit him, it reminded me that you are no different" she said. Jordan didn't know details of EJ's job, but she knew what his title was, Delta Force Commander. She knew what they did. Thankfully, she also knew that as Delta's Commander, EJ didn't go out into the field much. EJ stopped in his tracks and grabbed both of Jordan's hands.

"Jordie, my men are my responsibility, they need a CO who will have their back. It took me a very long time to gain their trust, and I won't break it. I'm asking you not to make me choose. I love being Delta's CO, and I also love you with all my heart. I ask you not to choose, because if you do, I'd choose you" he said, with a tear in his eye.

"I never asked Harm to choose, he just up and left. And I promise you, I will never ask you to choose between me and Delta Force" she promised him.

"Jordie, after my wife died, I truly never thought I'd fall in love again. For 15 years I have been alone. Sure, I've had Erica, but every night I would come home to an empty bed, and no one to share it with" he paused and swallowed, tears welling up in his eyes. "That all changed when I met you. I love Jordan Parker" he said as he pulled her close. Their lips crashed together and EJ felt Jordan smile against his lips.

**2145 hours, June 6 2000, Martin Residence, Base Housing, Fort Bragg, North Carolina**

It was dark when newly promoted Master Sergeant Chester Martin pulled his black 1997 Dodge Ram pickup truck into his driveway. He had been down at Fort McClellan in Alabama, running "Selection" for the past two weeks along with 1st Lieutenant Hazard. He grabbed his duffle from the truck bed and threw it over his shoulder. He dropped the bag on the floor as when he walked through his front door. he found his wife curled up on sofa, reading a book. "Oh god I missed you" he said as he hugged her tightly, pulling her off the sofa.

"I missed you too" she replied before pulling her husband of almost 4 years into a passionate kiss. After they finally broke for air, she asked "Did he pass?" she asked, being intentionally vague, but Chester knew what she meant. He gave her a huge smile.

"The little bastard passed with flying fucking colors" he proudly informed her. "John Hirsch used to say 'Rangers, Navy Seals, Force Recon, Green Berets, all them are designed so only 1% will pass. Only the best will past. But Delta, our tests are design so that no one can pass. The best of the best'. No matter what we threw at the kid, he kept going and came back for more. Reminds me of his father" said Chester.

"Does he even know?" she asked.

"He has absolutely now idea" said Chester.

"Well guess what?" asked Meg with a smile.

"What?" replied Chester.

"I'm Pregnant" she said, with a huge smile.

"Like with a baby?" he asked.

"That's usually how it works" she replied, laughing. "You're gonna be a father" she said, pulling him into a tight hug. Tears of joy flowed down both of there faces.

**0745 hours, 7 June 2000, Tactical Operations Center, Unit Compound, Fort Bragg, North Carolina. **

It was supposed to be Tony's day off when Colonel Barrett had called him at 0630 and given him 75 mikes to shower, shave, throw on his Class-A Dress Uniform and get his butt down to the T.O.C. "Stupid…" he couldn't think of any words. "Why am I here?" he grumbled as he walked through the door.

"Shut up and sit down" moaned Chester who was already sitting in the chair next to Tali's desk. Tony sat down next to him, giving him a quick head slap.

"What was that for?" Chester asked, rubbing the back of his head.

"That stupid look on your face" said Tony.

"What stupid look?" asked Chester, looking for clarification.

"Oh wait, never mind it just your face" said Tony with a smile on his face as Colonel Barrett walked into the room. "Ah, our fearless leader returns"

"DiNozzo, shut up, you already knew I was here" said Barrett.

"Shutting Up…Sir!" said Tony as he threw the Colonel a crappy salute. Colonel Barrett flipped him off in return.

"So you're probably all wondering why I've called you all in this morning" said Barrett as he leaned against the table. "Well, I'll let Ironman explain it to you all, since he was the one running 'Selection'" said The Colonel. Chester stood up and walked to the center of the room. Everyone's eyes were on him. The Men of Alpha Team: Tony, Malachi and Billy. The Colonel, Tali and Bridget. And the boys of Bravo: Captain Bauer, Cole and Staff Sergeant Weston. Chester cleared his throat.

"As you guys" he paused when he saw the look Tali was giving him. "And Ladies know, me and Hitman have spent the past 2 weeks down at Fort McClellan. And believe it or not, we did have someone pass" he said with a huge grin. "We got him his 22. Caliber pistol and his Tattoo, which was actually difficult, seeing as he isn't old enough to get one on his own" he said as his grin got widen. He watched as Tony's eyes widened.

"Before he was in the Unit, he was previously a member of The 82nd Airborne, The "Sky Train Boys", so me and Hitman gave him the call sign 'Sky Train'" explained Chester as Billy stood up.

"Sergeant, Front and Center!" Billy ordered. A young Sergeant walked into the room.

"Oh Shit" Tony muttered. The young Sergeant snapped to attention and saluted.

"Sergeant Anthony Dominick DiNozzo III, reporting as ordered, Sir!"

**END PART ONE**

**Staring**

**Michael Weatherly as Anthony "Tony" Dominick DiNozzo Jr. "Movie Buff"**

**Sasha Alexander as Caitlin "Kate" DiNozzo**

**Boyd Holbrook as Anthony "Three" Dominick DiNozzo III "Sky Train"**

**Sarai Givaty as Liat Mariella DiNozzo "Golden Girl"**

**TJ Ramani as Malachi Ben Gidon "Blue Star"**

**Gary Sinise as Thomas Colleton "Marshlands"**

**Mark Harmon as Leroy Jeathro "Gunny" Gibbs**

**Ewan McGregor as Chester Martin "Ironman"**

**David James Elliott as Harmon Rabb Jr.**

**Jennifer Lawrence as Tali Colleton "Freedom"**

**Nicole Steinwendell as Bridget Sullivan "Red Cap"**

**Susanna Thompson as Hollis Mann**

**Merik Tadros as Michael Rivkin**

**Michael Nouri as Eli David**

**Cote de Pablo as Ziva David**

**Tracy Needham as Megan Martin**

**Kiefer Sutherland as Jack Bauer "Bandit"**

**Johnny Strong as Randall Shugart "Alpha 0-3"**

**Catherine Bell as Sarah MacKenzie**

**Sarah Hope as Terri Bauer**

**Michael O'Neil as Ron Cheale "RC"**

**Rick Rude as William Kearns "Drag Strip"**

**Andrew Howard as Terrance Clarkin "Terranova"**

**John Stockwell as Billy Hazard "Hitman"**

**Muse Watson as Mike Franks**

**John M. Jackson as Albert Jeathro Chegwidden**

**Scott Wolf as Jonathan Cole "Phantom"**

**William Devane as Irving Morrell**

**Chuck Norris as Scott McCoy**

**Robert Patrick as Merton Bell**

**Steven Culp as Clayton Webb**

**Max Martini as Edward James "EJ" Barrett "Ex-Caliber"**

**David McCallum as Donald "Ducky" Mallard**

**Lauren Holly as Jennifer Shepard**

**Joe Spano as Tobias C. Fornell**

**Stay tuned my loyal readers for the Part II- entitled **

"**28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	41. Chapter 41

**The Sequel to "28 Seconds" is up now!**

"**28 Seconds: Strength & Honor"**


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